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RECAP NEWSLETTER - 10/31/5 Issue 45
"FRETTING"
As Christians who study current events, we (myself included) can easily
find ourselves worrying too much or fretting about mere men. What is
our perspective to be? Obviously we are commanded to be concerned
about current events, but we should not be commanded by current events.
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we
drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these
things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye
have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Re-evaluate your perspectives. Are you following current events to where it dominates your thoughts with cares and concerns that are worldly in nature? Does your mind dart back and forth wondering "what if?" In this passage, Christ is warning about living solely in the realm of fretting about things of this world. When you take your rest and faith off of God, and put it on your own shoulders, then you start worrying about many different scenarios and ways that *you* will provide for them. Granted, Christians are commanded in Scripture to be prudent and to care for their families. However, we can get so worked up that that commands our thinking. Our perspective though all of it should be that our providender and protection ultimately comes first from God. Our thinking should trickle down from that perspective. It is not on our shoulders (ultimately) to take care of the world. God wants our faith and rest in Him. When we get infatuated solely with providing, anticipating, and fretting that we neglect preaching the word and exhorting believers, we have allowed another god in our life. We become a god to ourselves, where we command our universe and do the provision. That is very wrong. God will let us reap the results of that if we want, but He exhorts us to rest in Him. Perhaps you have been putting too much emphasis on the cares of this world. It is not our job to fret over the future. We are to be prudent and discretionary, but it should be within the realm of 1 Timothy 6:8: "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." As far as evil men and their devices, prophecy makes it clear that it will get worse. Our thoughts should not revolve around our frail bodies, but about His soon return and living in light of it. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." I John 3:2-3. Psalm 46:1 "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man." Psalm 42:5 "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."
MISC
CURRENT EVENT RECAP What are you doing in regards to your fellow believers? Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us that as we get closer to His return, and as we see definite prophetic signs of His imminent return, it is more than doubly important that we be exhorting one another. As we "see the day approaching" we need to be earnestly exhorting ourselves and other Christians to get into the Word of God, study, mediate, and maintain their fellowship with God, purifying ourselves before Him. We can point out the signs to others and remind them that Christ is coming sooner than they think! The events of this year would have been borderline unthinkable last year. The year is not over yet, and worse is yet to come. Warn your fellow Christians not to become complacent and love the things of this temporal and carnal world (I John 2:15-16). There should be a separation from the things of the world, but also a compassion for the lost. This newsletter is being written on the night before the satanic festival of Halloween. I grieves me very deeply when I see the world so obsessed with the trappings of the occult. What makes my spirit groan even more is the flirtatious and naive manner in which professing Christians try to 'redeem the holidays' by participating in mimicking such vile abomination. Most Christian would not dare think of using abortion as an 'redeemable' activity, perhaps acting out in pantomime such vile acts to 'represent' whatever lesson they could conjure up; yet, those same Christians will take an activity that also involved human sacrifice, murder, and worship of Satan and think that somehow they can 'fix' it by having a 'trunk-or-treat' in their church parking lot! Having a Satanic practice mimicked in the church parking lot is no more redeemed than having an abortion in a church!!! Psalm 106:35-36 warns that the people in Israel "were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them." To learn the 'works' of the pagan Satan worshippers will become a deadly snare for any Christian. "I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?" (I Corinthians 10:20-22)
Acts 19:19 tells of people who were newly saved who had Satanic influences
in their life. Their actions after they got saved should set the
model for Christians today: "Many of them also which used curious arts
brought their books together, and burned them before all men." What
about you? Have you burned the Halloween paraphernalia that you
accumulated? What about children, teen, and adult books about
wizardry, magic powers, Harry Potter, magic playing cards, and similar
ilk? These people not only burned them, but they did it as a public
profession to the other believers and their community. They were
making the statement that they do not want to drink from the cup of devils
any more! They do not want the rotten dainties from the devil's
table! They did not want to provoke the Lord to jealousy!!!
"For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous,
is a jealous God: Joshua 24:22-24 reminds us again, "Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel." Who have you chosen? Do your fellow believers know who you have chosen? What have you put away? Just this week there was an article about how Harry Potter and its popularity has 'absolutely fueled the growth of Wicca.' The things of the occult that only a few years ago were unmentionable now fill literally shelf upon shelf in your local bookstore - just the children's section alone carries quite a library of occult knowledge. Now with so-called Christian organizations telling Christians that such materials can be 'redeemed' or 'gospelized', Satan has garnered the stamp of approval and popularity by the 'church'.
The average Christian lacks discernment is many of the vital areas today.
Too concerned with finding their own personal self-esteemed purpose, or
trying to get their best life now, many Christians neglect the judgment,
mercy, and faith that our Lord exhorted should be taught above all else
(Matthew 23:23). It was a sad commentary on America last week that
Nigerian churches are exhorting us to practice what we preach,
particularly in the realm of the sin of homosexuality. Our nation
has pioneered and promoted homosexuality in ways no other nation has.
Already this year, two major sodomite festivals had to be canceled because
of hurricanes. Should we be surprised? No. Will America
take notice? No. Will we see more lifting of God's hedge on our
nation? Yes. It was interesting to note that the festival postponed
by Hurricane Wilma was a festival that mimicked Halloween activities in
the area of costumes, especially this close to Halloween. However,
we should not be surprised that such practices would be welcomed by such
activity. "...And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things
which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of
God..." (Romans 1:28-30) One thing to watch for would be the use of the Pakistan earthquake to justify other nations, notably the United States, opening their borders immediately after natural disasters for the quick flow of governmental help from neighboring countries. With the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, we got a brief taste of such a situation with the assistance and help from Mexico. If even bitter rivals such as Pakistan and India can work together, so the argument goes, 'friendly' nations should have no problem, right? Perhaps we will see a natural disaster in the EU, where the cooperation of neighboring EU countries is held up as a model of global cooperation. In the United States, we see trends that our government may use natural disasters to further decimate the Constitution, freedoms, and America. Already they are proposing to give the President more power in natural disasters, ranging from ordering evacuations to stepping over the Stafford Act, which permits the president to declare a national emergency to mobilize federal resources to states, the Insurrection Act, and the Posse Comitatus, which prevents the military from carrying out a domestic law enforcement role. In regards to the Avian Flu, China stated that they would close their borders if the bird flu mutated. The World Bank's response said that while prevention measures would cost a lot, the economic damage from a pandemic would be far worse. There was another article this week that mentioned the drastic slowdown of any infrastructure and economy should the avian flu mutate and hit. Quarantines, and loss of labor would impact industry. However, remember that all the hype so far has been on the premise that the avian flu *has not yet* mutated. Whether it 'mutates' or whether a genetically engineered pestilence is purposely released is unknown. However, a lot of groundwork is being set up merely on the supposition that an outbreak will occur. We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, take prudent precautions that are necessary. Eat healthy, get plenty of vitamin C, and herbal remedies. Do not overly obsess yourself with the Avian Flu. Use discretion and natural medical means, but do not allow it to dominate your thoughts and cares. God is ultimately in control. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord." (Prov. 21:31) We should do everything that we can do in 'preparing the horse', but ultimately the safety is from God. In each of the topics that we covered, there is the danger of looking at them through our eyes and our strengths. We need to look at them from God's perspective found in His Word. We need to take our burdens to Christ and rest in Him, not in our strength. As we see the day approaching, let us exhort one another to live for Christ, purified, as He is pure.
REMINDERS & PRAYER REQUESTS Have family devotions instead of watching television. Pray that missionaries in foreign fields will get their support increases, due to the rising inflation discrepancies with the US dollar. Pray that missionaries will have the grace, support, protection, personnel, and health to win the lost in their area. Pray that we will have the boldness that we need to share the Gospel. Pray for the churches affected by the Hurricanes, that they will be able to find facilities or areas where they can meet, and also ways in which they can uniquely minister in light of their circumstances. Pray for the requests in PrayerList, and also in iChurches.
Pray for us here at informedchristians.com for wisdom, guidance, time,
resources, and
energy
May God richly bless, |