When truth stumbles, and honesty is outlawed there will be no peace, and people with common sense will be attacked. When people refuse to listen to the truth; evil will be in control!
The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 30 – Clothed in Scarlet
With Adam and Eve’s rebellion to God’s first and only command (Genesis 2:15) came the need to have their shame clothed by God.
Before they disobeyed God they had no reason to feel ashamed of their nakedness, but God opened their eyes to how He sees their disobedience, and how He sees ‘all’ the disobedience of mankind; that it’s not only shameful but deserving of death. God’s love for man is greater than His hatred for sin because He made man in His own image that they become His sons and daughters. Thus, He sent His Son into the world because of His deep desire that none should perish in their sins and be separated from Him, but rather to believe in His Son as their Savior unto eternal life. Jesus Christ’s scarlet blood is what covers our sins when we confess them to Him.
Because sin entered the world – the earth and earth’s atmosphere was affected. Extreme weather conditions began to take the place of God’s perfect climate for people on the earth so that people now needed proper clothing for all kinds of extreme weather conditions. Before sin entered the world people never needed armor protection for their bodies either. Warring and killing increased because of man’s sin nature.
Living conditions on earth will become more and more severe as we near our Lord’s return, but those who are “clothed in scarlet,” covered by the blood of God’s Son have no need to fear.
“When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.” Proverbs 31:21
The Virtuous Woman makes sure her husband and children are physically and spiritually covered according to the weather, work, worry and warfare of the day. She is very aware of all their goals, responsibilities and enemies.
It is her desire that they look their best, feel their best and do their best. It doesn’t matter how much money you have; looking your best has nothing to do with what’s in fashion or how great you look in your clothes. Looking your best is more about attitude, confidence and perspective. Feeling your best comes from security and favor with God. Doing your best comes from determination to reach your goals, but with personal integrity and God’s favor.
As a parent we need to make sure we don’t clothe our children with ‘our’ false expectations. We can expect things from them that is out of their range of ability and dreams, but is really all about what we achieved at their age, or what we had wanted to achieve and never did.
The woman of God has clothed herself with faith in God’s way of salvation and prayer that God will work salvation for each one in her household. Our faith in God’s promises and our truthful teaching over our children – sanctify our children unto the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:14) But the day comes that each of our children need to ‘personally’ respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith in what He did on the cross, for them personally. Covering our children with prayer keeps them protected for the day of their own salvation in Christ.
Right before the Israelites left Egypt with Moses God told them to apply the blood of a lamb without defect over the doors and windows (all openings) of their homes so that the Lord’s angel of death would not stop there as he came to take all of Egypt’s firstborn sons. If the blood wasn’t applied then there was nothing to save them from God’s judgment. (Exodus 12:12-13) The same is true for us; if we are not covered with the blood of Christ – we are not saved from the wrath of God; from the guilt of our sin. We will pay and get what we deserve for refusing the one and only Savior, Son of God, Jesus Christ.
No matter what the conditions are outside our home weather-wise, or in our nation government-wise, or throughout the earth world-wise, the heart and home of the Proverbs 31 Woman is ready to withstand intense and severe conditions because she, her husband and children are all clothed in scarlet; covered with the blood of God’s Lamb. They are blessed and highly favored of God.
Jesus prayed to the Father on behalf of His disciples: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:15-18
Being “sanctified” means that our Father will work to protect those we pray for – for the day they acknowledge their need of the Savior and take part in the Kingdom of God. We each have to make our own choice when it comes to the Spirit’s invitation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our prayers won’t ‘save’ our children or anyone else from the guilt of their own sin; that’s between God and every human being. Baptizing babies or praying for the dead won’t save either. Babies are protected by God; they return to Him if they should die before their time of understanding who Jesus is.
Praying for our children will protect them from Satan and his cohorts who work against our salvation and the maturing of our faith. But no one else’s faith can save me; I must come to my Savior by faith.
Your children need you to cover them with prayer each day, and maybe more than once depending on what they are going through. They need you to teach them the truth of the Scriptures. Don’t wait till something terrible happens to pray over your children; pray over them every morning and night so the plans of the evil one are not carried out. Don’t wait for others to teach your children the Word of God; that is your responsibility as a parent to first know your God by reading and studying the Bible, His Word, and then by teaching your children. Pray the Words of God over your children so that your prayers are answered and they learn that God will do what He says.
When we go into battle for the spiritual well-being of our loved ones we go to war with the enemies of the cross, the evil spirits of inequity. So be sure you have all your spiritual protection on (Ephesians 6:10-18) because this battle requires you to have every piece of your armor on when you come against the plans and works of Satan in prayer.
The woman of faith does not fret the evil day when wicked leaders carry out their wicked plans. She prays to the Lord with full assurance in what He has said in His Word: “Evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.” (Psalm 37:7-10) Can’t wait for that DAY!
When our four children were growing up my husband and I prayed for them. Most the time we prayed on our own and not together, but when they became adults with adult size problems we began praying together for their marriages, for their children (our grandchildren) and for their good future with Jesus Christ. Jesus told us that when two or three come together in His Name and ask Him for anything – He will do it. There’s power in agreement!
Knowing that our children are “in Christ,” is so very comforting. Knowing that God answers a faithful mother’s prayers for her children, can keep a mother from stepping in where God needs to be in the life of her children. She has no need to fear for them, just to enjoy them – all the days of her life.
The Virtuous Woman is fulfilled knowing her family is prepared and covered for what’s ahead.
Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17 “Take the helmet of salvation.”
It is important to remember that Paul is using the analogy of a Roman soldier when describing the pieces of armor that we need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and that it remains fixed in place at all times, but also what he is to pick up and put on when danger or an enemy is coming.
“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Now Paul reminds us to also “take the helmet of salvation.” By putting on the helmet we know that this is bringing attention to the head, the brain where we have understanding, imagination and the thinking process. In other pieces of the armor it deals with our feelings, emotions and desires, but now he is bringing out the ‘intellectual’ part of our position as Christians.
In this spiritual warfare – the enemy will bring forth his strategy as well as his tactics to achieve the outcome he desires. It is possible that we can have an overall view of the strategy of Satan, but miss out on his tactics in achieving his goal of defeating us.
In this battle or conflict, we can begin to become weary and think that the fight is in vain. We have been in this battle for a long time, perhaps we have been wounded, you find yourself struggling and you begin to wonder if it is worth it all. It seems at times that nothing changes, or there is one delay after another, and what seemed to be a promise from God – does not come about when we thought is should or hoped it would.
It is like what David said when his life was in jeopardy constantly being pursued by King Saul. 1 Samuel 27:1 “But David thought to himself, ‘One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.’” In this ‘giving up’ David went to a place called Ziglag which was on the border of Israel and the area of the Philistines. It was a place of compromise for David to survive; a pretense of survival. One would wonder what this affect had on his men.
We could look at the condition of the church today that has been around for 2000 years and think that it has little impact on the world to date. We see the church in the West full of confusion and uncertainty when it comes to some of the main issues that we face in our culture. The enemy can whisper in our ears that the church is useless today, and on the surface, it would seem that the enemy is stronger than the Christian today who seems weak and powerless. We see that many have given up on the church, feeling it is worthless.
In the book of Hebrews (talking to Christians) it would seem that this book would be a good commentary on what we are faced with today as it was then. These Christians had left their Jewish traditions and turned to Christ and for a time they had great joy, but then their Jewish countrymen began to persecute them, rob them of their goods. They were told that Christ would return, but there was no sign of His return. The result was that they became discouraged.
It is in this context that we must understand what the helmet of salvation does for us. Some Bible scholars say that this is being always aware of being saved by Christ, no matter what happens. This is true, but it seems to be more than that. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet – the hope of salvation.”
What is this “hope of salvation?”
When we look at Scripture and what Paul wrote in other letters to the churches – the hope of salvation is what can be called the ‘hope of glory.’ For example, he says in 1 Corinthians 15:32 that if he fought with wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons – he has gained nothing if the dead are not raised. He goes on to say that as we eat, drink, and expect to die – we KNOW Who is coming – and so we continue on with the good fight of faith, because of the “hope of His glory.”
We must keep in mind that there are ‘tenses of salvation,’ in other words, we have in our salvation the past, present and future. The past is justification, the present is sanctification and the future is glorification. So, with this in mind: put on the helmet of salvation so that we might be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
These Light and Momentary Troubles
Carol and I went to our daughter’s house to pray over some of the young people who grew up in our church with our children. One young couple is going through a very hard time with cancer. This young couple have two little children and have to explain to them all of what their mom is dealing with at this very difficult time of fighting for her life with cancer.
While the group was in prayer I kept asking the Lord, please give me something that I can pray over them with confidence, but nothing came to me except this verse. “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
I said to the Lord, this cancer that is threatening her life is no small thing! It might last for years, or take her any day. But nothing else came to my mind but this verse. I talked with Carol on our way home and told her why I kept silent in prayer. I do not understand why God wouldn’t me something that I could pray that would give them hope for this life.
Then during the night, I had a dream. In this dream I was at a person’s home who was going through a difficult time. I felt that this was not normal and began to research this out with prayer. In the prayer I was told it was because of a demonic angel. I then addressed this demonic angel and ask it to show itself. I was not afraid of it, nor was I trying to get everyone to run from it, but rather we stood up to it. I asked it to do something physical to show itself. I asked it to move the refrigerator from its space, and the refrigerator began to move.
I then asked for it to bring the demonic angel who is over it. I did not want the next in line, but the head. Finally, the head demonic angel arrived. I then asked God for my angel to stand next to me. When this powerful demonic angel arrived, I thanked it for what it was doing. This demonic angel did not know how to respond to me thanking it for all of the suffering and hardship it was bringing upon this person who I was praying over.
I told all of these demonic angels the problems they bring are nothing more than giving us rewards we could never have without the pain and suffering they bring; for it is producing a glory that will shine throughout eternity. When I did this the demonic head angel wanted to harm me, but could not touch me because of the angel the Lord had sent to protect me. Once I began to be thankful for these problems – it became so frustrated and angry that it fled from our presence.
I know there are a lot of Christians who are going through some very difficult times, and feel as though it is hopeless. It looks like pain and suffering are what is left for us in this life. But when we see it through God’s eyes it is a true blessing. For our lives do not end when the physical body dies, no, we live forever with the Lord. We are promised that in this life it will be hard and difficult. But God says that our spirit will be renewed through these trials. These troubles are small, and won’t last long. It is in suffering that produces a glory that will outweigh it all and last forever.
Thank You Lord for allowing this young couple to receive, “glory” that only comes through hard times on this earth. Thank You Lord for renewing their spirits and giving them a future that will last forever. When your children begin to see pain and hardships as You see them, then it will produce for us “glory.”
Even if our troubles come from demonic angels, and are thanked that they have allowed us to have glory throughout eternity, these demonic angels will not understand how we can be so thankful. This will frustrate their plans and they will flee each time we give thanks.
The Proverbs 31 – Chapter 29 – Extended Hands
God created everything we see and even don’t see. What can He not give us therefore? God helps us to prosper so that we can freely give to others in need. God enables us to serve Him without fear. (Luke 1:74) God is able to bless us abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work of His. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Just as there is God’s eternal laws of nature there are also eternal laws of love. God’s love put mankind on the earth to live in His love peacefully with each other, without any deficiencies, and eager to serve one another in love. But, as we’ve seen throughout the history of man – God’s laws of love have been cast off and the world lives with that intensifying result. But, for those who love God and strive to please Him – His hand is extended to them that they have all they need and all the more to be helpful to others.
God knows those who truly want His help and those who don’t. It takes good judgment to know the difference between those who just want hand-outs and those who really want help so they can help themselves and then to help others. Some people just don’t want to change the way they are for whatever reason. We need to understand the difference between human sympathy and godly compassion because there is a huge difference in the results.
Our efforts to help people should open the way for them to know the Savior and begin providing for their selves and eventually to be in the place where they can help others they are responsible for.
God can work miracles for us, but we must see that with every miracle we receive from God – He expects us to follow through with what that miracle was intended to do. Maybe that’s why the church doesn’t see many miracles today. We want God to do miracles for us, but are we willing to go through the miracle till we have come to the end of what God intended for that miracle to do for us and for our children, or others in our life.
The Lord has given us so much in order to help where He wants to help people; to work miracles in the way miracles are meant to work. Just like when we go in for surgery – there are doctor’s orders to follow after surgery so that the surgery accomplishes what it was intended to do for us. Recovery can be painful, but we must persevere and endure until we’ve come to the result intended. The same is true for any miracle that the Lord does for us when we ask.
In Jesus’ Day the Pharisees/Sadducees were skeptical of the miracles that Jesus did. No miracles took place until Jesus came with open arms. When Jesus extended His hand – lives were changed for testimonies to come forth about the presence of God among them for the first time in a very long time.
When you know the good you ought to do and you don’t do it, this is sin according to God’s law of love. To the Lord, the sin of ‘neglect’ is as wicked as any “thou shalt not.” Passing by an obvious opportunity from God to help someone, for any reason, grieves God. God knows what we are capable of and if He presents us with an opportunity, we better not pass it by. God will get someone else to help that person, but God really wanted to bless YOU with that act of His love. We just don’t understand how much God wants to reward us for being faithful.
What you do for someone else might look like love, but human love is not the same as God’s love. Human love will only go so far until it starts to upset one’s own personal lifestyle, hinder one’s personal goals and require what one really doesn’t want to give up. To be the Lord’s hands and arms, self must be out of the way. The Lord needs clean vessels to work through. I must think less of myself if the Lord is going to work through me the way He wants to. Letting Christ live through me is a process of putting off my own plans and desires in order to allow His Spirit to move through me for His plans and desires.
It’s His plans and desires that I do which are fulfilling, not my own plans and desires. Until we experience being faithful to the Lord, we will be self-deceived spending our life for ‘self’ and for those we believe will benefit ‘self’ in one way or another. That’s why most parents try to live out their failed lives through their children. That’s why most people marry who they marry. That’s why most people join churches. That’s why people want their government to take care of their needs and wants.
A day came, when I was in my early fifties and having been a Christian for over 25 years, when the Lord told me that He didn’t want me doing anything for anyone anymore – except for love; not human love, but God’s love. Like most people, I did things for people for my own reasons. The heart is deceitfully wicked, no one really knows their own heart, but God does.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10
How does one come to do anything out of pure love? I believe it starts with knowing the Father’s perfect everlasting love for me, which was first shown to me through His Son’s sacrifice on the cross, and then poured into me by His blessed Holy Spirit.
Jesus extended His Hand to help people because He knew His Father would back Him up and do all that He asked of His Father and we need to have the same wisdom and faith. And so Jesus tells us, “Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name…Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:23-24
Righteousness
Ephesians 6:14 “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.”
Another important piece of our armor is the “breastplate” because it protects the vital organs of the body. Often the Old Testament writers would use the names of different organs to express feelings, affection, etc. This is the reason why the breastplate of righteousness is so important in this conflict that we find ourselves in, this wrestling with the world, and with our flesh and the devil, because what we need to protect is our feelings and affections, our conscience as well as the desires and our will.
The conscience is very important. We see that Paul puts the conscience second only to our faith in 1 Timothy 1:19 “…having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected.” We read in the rest of the verse that some have rejected these and so have become shipwrecked in their faith. The conscience is very important and the devil will attack us in this area. Many are held captive by the devil at this point.
We also have desires and there is nothing wrong with desires as God has given us desires and many of them are good. They are part of life as well as who we are, however, what the devil tries to do is bring inordinate desires, or to inflame the desires that we have. Through all of this our will is affected and that is the reason why the breastplate of righteousness is so important.
But, what do we mean by righteousness? Are we talking about moral rectitude, or should it be translated as integrity? No, it is provided by God Himself! For example, consider the apostle Paul. He was a man of integrity as well as self-righteousness, but like we read in Philippians 3:7-9 “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” So this is the breastplate of righteousness that we need to put on.
Another example of this is found in Luke 18 where the Pharisee talks about his own self-righteousness. Listen to what he says: “I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of all that I have.” Yet it was the sinner that said: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) And the sinner went home justified, said the Lord.
500 years ago Martin Luther discovered this righteousness and by starting the reformation he changed the course of history. The question that comes is: What can we do? We can do nothing and that is probably one of the first things that we need to learn. This is why God sent His Son so that we might receive His righteousness, because God is pleased with His Son. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
One of the great verses in the Bible is Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Now that this righteousness has been imparted to us by His Spirit, we are to work this out in our daily lives. Doing this we will find that His righteousness protects our heart, our mind, our conscience as well as desires, emotions and will.
It is important to see that the breastplate protects our emotions. Human emotions and desires are real and can be good, they play a great part in our life, but unless checked – can lead us into a lifestyle that is detrimental to being holy unto the Lord. We can feel so strongly about something that it can replace the rational thought.
Praise God for this breastplate that protects us and keeps us strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 28 – Open Arms
The poor and needy are all around us. We don’t have to look far to find a family, region or entire country poverty stricken for whatever reason, or just plain hopeless with all the terror and chaos around the world today. Jesus said that we will always have plenty of opportunities to meet the needs of others. (John 12:8)
There are neglected and undernourished people everywhere and children without a home or a hope. There are needy women who are abandoned by their husbands. We live in a world where ungodly governments make their own people suffer while they live in luxury. There are regions of people who suffer cruelty beyond their control. It is overwhelming for sure, but God expects His people to do something, even if it’s little. The Lord has instructed every one of us to spread His Gospel and then follow it up with love in action.
As a mother, the poor and needy are right at your feet each morning. Your children are constantly yanking on you and requiring your full attention because of the inner poverty and spiritual need they have (which we all had or maybe still have as adults). A warm home, a closet full of clothes and toys, along with three well-balanced meals a day won’t satisfy what your child needs emotionally and spiritually.
Poor: Lacking proper nourishment; lacking material possessions; lacking the means to support oneself; lacking productivity, lacking fruitfulness; barren, sterile; lacking comfort and satisfaction; lacking good and moral qualities; lacking excellence; worthy of pity.
The Virtuous Woman sees that her own children’s emotional, spiritual and physical needs are met first before she opens her arms to others. Wisdom is proved right by her children. You can’t serve or be a benefit anywhere else unless you have first and fully benefitted the ones God gave you at home.
God gives any barren wife children otherwise; she simply needs to open her eyes elsewhere. A childless couple can have as many as they like; it’s just a matter of love and faith in God.
Note: Go to God, not to doctors to attain a right perspective as to why the two of you are not producing children out of your own bodies.
Children raised with ‘material things’ replacing ‘mother’s time’ and ‘father’s time’ are children who will more than likely grow up to be smug and cold toward the poor and needy. Smug: narrow contentment about one’s own accomplishments, beliefs, morality; self-satisfied; complacent.
Jesus stated that in the last days the hearts of people (even His own people) would grow cold because of the “rapid” increase of wickedness. (Matthew 24:12) They will get angry over what has been denied them by their governments, fear that they won’t have enough, and begin hoarding for themselves instead of trusting God and reaching out to help others. In fear people will stand watching someone being attacked instead of taking the risk of helping. We see many countries where governments are corrupt and unjust, oppressing people instead of helping people. Acts of kindness will be rarely seen except by true servants of the Lord that will obey God’s instructions.
One way God keeps our heart from growing cold is to put us into needy situations ourselves; maybe even into poverty and homelessness. I know a Christian man who saw a homeless ministry as he himself was homeless. Sometimes God will burden us for a place in the world where the people are in great need; to put us among them for a time to feel what they feel and respond as God’s open arms. God loves people through His people. God can end suffering through those who walk with Jesus.
We might need to suffer ourselves so that we can truly understand, and not just pity people who live a life of suffering; what they go through each and every day. God always has a good purpose when He assigns us a time to suffer. (1 Peter 3:13-17)
Jesus told us that unless we suffer for the Gospel’s sake we will not share in His inheritance later. (Romans 8:17, Revelation 2:10) Why does our Father treat us this way? Why is “suffering” part of how He qualifies us for His Kingdom? Shouldn’t it be how well we did our work on earth, how committed we were to the Church, how cooperative we were serving our leaders, how well we managed and prayed for our families, how faithful we were in tithing and teaching others the truth?
Suffering works as a high heat that purges the dross from gold. Suffering reveals deep things in us that we didn’t know existed. Our hearts are deceitfully wicked and we don’t know just how deep that wickedness is until the Lord exposes it and sometimes He does this through suffering. And, if we have been humbled in the process, He is quick to comfort those who suffer.
God uses suffering to test our commitment to His Kingdom; how far we will go for the Lord. God’s uses suffering to draw people to Himself so He can pour out His love on them. His love poured out on us leads us to repent and turn our life over to Him; to offer ourselves to Him in gratitude.
When the people of God, who have been blessed by Him, are closed armed, tight fisted and silent about our world’s inhumanities – the world becomes filled with more and more inhumane suffering. It has only gotten worse in the world, not better, and that is not the fault of God. Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of the devil. He showed His men how to demolish Satan’s personal and national strongholds and agendas, and those men passed it on to the next generation, and so on and so forth. So what happened?
Those who spent time around Jesus, being fed, taught and touched by Him – felt rich, important and full of hope, even with all that was viciously against them. They went much further than we do in order to take care of each other, and because of that brotherly love – great numbers were added daily to the Kingdom of God. Their persecution forced them to spread out and cover more areas of darkness with God’s love, truth and righteousness.
Human sympathy is not the same as godly (God’s) compassion. Human sympathy lacks godly discernment and the wisdom that comes from God to know when to help and when not to help, and what help should be.
Godly compassion glorifies God. Human sympathy glorifies man. We can feel sorry for someone without extending a hand to help and still have God’s peace about it. We can be moved to help the way they want to be helped, but not in the way they really need us to help. When God’s compassion is compelling us to action that person or group of people will have exactly what they need when they need it, and they will give GOD the glory for it.
God sees and understands the heart of every individual, we don’t have that power. God sees a person’s whole state and the legitimate need in each one. When we act out of mere human sympathy we can miss out on the rewards of our faith that come from knowing how to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow through in obedience. But, a reward isn’t the motive we should have; love is.
The day comes when our parents or grandparents become the poor and needy around us. We hear a lot about nursing homes for the elderly where the elderly are treated poorly; where they are oppressed instead of honored. Turning our parent, parents or grandparents over to hired-help should only be done with God’s permission and His peace in our heart because He will hold us responsible.
“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6
I have seen a great push from God as He has been working in families to unite families so that they can start living together and helping each other along, because the days are rapidly increasing with evil.
We will all face hardships of various kinds; some we have caused ourselves by not trusting the Lord, or hardships that others generate on their own and that affect us. Our sin and rebellion towards God affects others, not just ourselves. The closer we get to the return of the Lord the more Christians will need to come together and return to the basic principles of love and sacrifice that the first church so beautifully embodied. The book of “Acts” is called just that because of their righteous acts (also known as the bride’s apparel – Revelation 19:8).
The Lord calls us a fool if we are selfish with what we have; if we are storing up for ourselves on earth and not storing up with God’s purpose in mind. (Luke 12:20-21) We are wise to be “rich toward God.” The early church was very rich toward God for they did not hold on to anything as if it was theirs alone.
Everything we have comes from God. The first church gave according to the needs among them without judging one another or expecting anything in return. They laid their gifts at the feet of the apostles (not at the feet of the teachers/pastors/prophets). The apostles see the needs ‘worldwide’ as well as locally. The first church sold their possessions to help one another. When God is pleased – God is generous.
Hospitality (open homes) is a rare thing to see today, just as rare to see as a man and wife who never separated or divorced; never were unfaithful to each other and whose children obey and honor them. What a rare sight today. We’d be wise to start seeing and making our homes as the “gathering place” for fellowship with believers – instead of a public church building.
The first church opened their hearts and homes to each other. The family of God grew quickly because of their open arms.
Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
The words “above all” indicate that there is now a change in the armor that we are to put on. We are now coming to the fourth piece of armor wherewith we need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The first three pieces were fixed, but now in this different transition we are told “to take up the shield of faith.” The fixed pieces of armor we have on all the time, but in times of emergency, or battle we take up the shield of faith.
The Roman shield that Paul is thinking about would be about four feet tall and two and half feet wide and held in front to protect the entire body. Paul speaks about the flaming arrows or darts of the enemy. One can imagine a barrage of darts or arrows falling down upon us that would bring in confusion, chaos, injury and then allow the troops to come in and finish the job.
We need to keep in mind that these darts are being thrown by the enemy, a.k.a. the wicked one, or the devil. Paul told us that we do not fight “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (vs. 12) The world no longer believes that there is a devil and demonic powers and consequently when evil acts – they have no answers. It is not flesh and blood that we fight, but a real devil that commands and controls a variety of infernal powers, devilish agents and spiritual entities.
When we think of these fiery darts or arrows we must realize that they can take different forms. Probably the most common would be in our thought life. Thoughts that would bring in doubt, despair, discouragement, especially when it comes to God’s promises, God’s love, God’s faithfulness and God’s Word. We see how Satan came to Eve in the Garden of Eden and said: “Did God really say?”
Also, there can be blasphemous thoughts about God and the Lord Jesus Christ. When we get these thoughts, we can begin to doubt whether we are even a Christian. Or, we might find that the devil throws words or phrases, or oaths or some other form of horrible language at us.
Some of these darts can deal with our imagination where the enemy can conjure up scenes, or depict events and paint them very vividly and make them seem so real. This is why we “take up the shield of faith.”
Peter tell us in 1 Peter 4:12 that it is not “strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” Because Satan will use these things to try and alarm us into thinking that God does not love us, or has forgotten us, or to bring in fear that would tend to immobilize us from moving in all that God has for us – we need to keep in mind what Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8, 9: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
John tells us in 1 John 5:4: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.”
Attacks of persecution can come from many different forms and in different ways. We see what some Christians went through in Hitler’s Germany and even today in places like the Middle East, India, China, but also persecution can come from those who are near to us.
The only way to really counteract all of this is through the shield of faith and we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. He who believes shall obey, and God gives faith to the obedient heart.
We never work to produce faith. Faith will never point to itself. We do not have faith in faith, but faith will always point to God; to His character; to who He is. This is why we are told in Hebrews 12:2, “Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
So, in times of crises, or even in everyday life – the question is: What are we looking at, or towards? What is it that draws our attention? Is it Jesus, or some ‘thing’ else, or some ‘one’ else that we look towards.
Remember, we take up the shield of faith.
When You
When you depend on the Lord, you will know that all of His promises are backed by His Name. When you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him. When you pray, He will answer you, encourage you, and strengthen you. When you put your hope in His promises it will be a strong and trustworthy anchor for your soul. When you keep this firmly in your mind, He will give you all of these promises so that you will have confidence that He will work out His plan for your life.
The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 27 – Discerning the Time
The Proverbs 31 woman listens to the Holy Spirit because He tells her the things that are to come; the why, when and how she should prepare. God gives her all that she needs, not only for the present but also for what she is to prepare for. She does not fear what is coming because she is prepared. God has told us to consider the ants and how they know what time it is and what to do in preparation.
“Learn from the ant, observe her ways and be wise. Ants have no chief, office or ruler, yet knows in summer to gather the harvest, for provision in winter.” Proverbs 6:6-8
We should always be thinking ahead and getting even little things done that can be done, so that when the time comes – we are easily prepared instead of frantically at work. We should be thinking ahead for our children and grandchildren, and not be foolish to think that we need only be concerned for the present. While in the present we have time, resources, strength and freedom – we need to think ahead as to what Jesus said was coming that will make life difficult to live.
The day when the anti-Christ will require everyone to receive his mark (chip/implant) means no one will be able to buy or sell without it. But Jesus has told His disciples not to be deceived in taking the “mark of the beast,” rather they will find what they need to survive on because of what was left behind for them by those who listened to the instructions of the Holy Spirit before they were removed from the earth; as they were called by Spirit of God to prepare provision for God’s saints living through the Great Tribulation that Jesus told us about.
“If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9-10
God is always preparing ahead for His people, and He uses His own disciples to do the practical things in a timely way. Jesus tells us about the time of Great Tribulation; that although it is a short time it is a time on earth like no other time.
“For in those days there will be tribulation unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again. If the Lord had not shortened those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.” Mark 13:19-20
We all have loved ones to think about after we’re gone whether in death or rapture; especially loved ones who will be left behind to endure the time of God’s wrath on earth called the Great Tribulation. There is a time to come when God will no longer put up with the devil’s rebellion against God’s truth, and man’s destruction of what God once called “good.”
We know that the Lord prepares for the needs of His people, we can see it in the account of how God prepared way ahead of time using young Joseph (youngest of all his brothers) to prepare provision for his family during a great famine. (Genesis 38-41) God is still preparing for His people in the future. If God has told us what is coming (and He has) then we better listen to the Holy Spirit as to what we need to do with what we have been blessed with, whether we personally live through the short time of the “Great Tribulation” or not.
A fool does not listen to a warning nor does he prepare for what is coming. He hears but he does not heed; it goes in one ear and out the other. Those who follow the voice of God’s Spirit are not caught by surprise, unprepared and feeling hopeless.
God does nothing before telling those closest to Him so they will get the word out to all His people. But like in the days of the prophets, there will be the majority of God’s people who do not believe the Lord’s prophets whom God has given His message about what is about to happen that will affect them and their children.
Proverbs 1:32-33 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But he who listens to Me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
The Lord’s people (Israel) didn’t discern the time of His first coming. (Luke 19:41-44) Will the churches discern the time of His second coming in making ready a people prepared for Him?
God hates the fear that men have of other men and that makes men cower down from their God-given responsibilities. God blesses and honors those who understand what He requires of them, and then faithfully get to it, no matter what comes against them.
There will be a generation of the godly who are told to faithfully prepare physically, in practical ways, for the worse time on the earth that Jesus and the prophets all foretold. What if you are that generation? It is very important that you know the time and what is both necessary and appropriate to do. Jesus told us that we won’t know the day and the hour of His second coming, but we can certainly know the generation – if we are paying attention to what’s going on and to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Do not be a fool and set a specific day that the Lord will return like so many false prophets have done. JUST BE READY!
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Why would God tell us to go to such extremes and severities; that there is the time to mourn, to tear down, to throw away, to hate, to go to war and even to kill? When would God approve of hatred/war/killing? Well, read what Jesus said HE WILL DO when He returns!
Jesus told us what to be prepared for; things that must happen before He returns; even things that will knock down our traditional ways of ‘churchianity.’ As we embark upon each new year it has become apparent that we just might be doing things we never thought of doing. So beware of holding on to your churchy traditions and works, and end up like the “unwise virgins.” (Matthew 25)
When you are faced with the need to make an important decision – how do you make it? How do we know when it is the right time for anything? How do we know if it is profitable to let go of something or when it is wise to hold on to something? How do we know when we should be searching or giving up? What gives you the confidence to know when it is the time to speak up or take action, or to simply shut up and stay put? Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit how can we be timely in anything? Without the Holy Spirit who can know what to be ready and prepared for? Without the strength of the Holy Spirit who can be faithful? So, are you filled with Holy Spirit?
What is it the time for when your pastor keeps silent about the Lord’s coming judgments; what to expect and prepare for that Jesus talked about? What is it the time for when your children are being taught in school that they might not be the gender they were born with? What is it the time for when you find out your husband has been unfaithful? What is it the time for when your best friend challenges your faith in Jesus Christ?
How do we know when it’s time to do something good for someone else, or when it’s the right time to be angry? How can we be angry without sinning with our anger, like the Bible instructs? What are we to do with our feelings before they turn wickedly active? Our actions will be held accountable by God, but our feelings won’t. God wants us to bring our thoughts and feelings before Him in surrender to His will – so we can then make right decisions about how we feel, and be right and timely in our actions.
All throughout the history of man God has made sure that men and women know what they need to know about His character and what He requires of them. The Word of God is not just a history book; it’s our daily food and light for our journey of faith. Jesus commands us over and over to “hear what the Holy Spirit is saying” because God’s Spirit knows when it is the time for everything that currently concerns us, and also prepares what is coming.
“A man (or woman) will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his (or her) words, and the deeds of a man’s (or woman’s) hands will return to him (or her).” Proverbs 12:14