The Daily Dose

Chosen and Faithful

^{These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”  Revelation 17:14}

What is a day?  I heard this question come up on the inside of me.  I had been struggling with being motivated and really feeling a sense of complacency.  My appetite for what is important had been fading and my desire to love and encourage people was diminishing.  So I thought about the question for a bit.  What is a day really?  What does it mean to me?  Does every 24 hours just consists of the activities and appointments that I make to fill up that space so I can feel productive?  Was each day created for me just so that I can go work for an employer to make enough to pay my bills and help a company be successful?  No way!  Each day that we are given breath in our lungs in this world is an opportunity.  Yes, of course, we do the things that we are committed to and the responsibilities that we have been given.  We steward well the job and the resources that we are blessed with so that we are not left destitute.  But we have an opportunity each day to live our life on His purpose and get the plan from God’s Spirit that He has for us each day and for our life span here on this earth.

In today’s reading, there is an explanation by the angle that was showing John a scene in the spiritual realm.  A woman sitting on a beast with seven heads and ten horns.  The angel explained to John that the beast will come out of the bottomless pit, the seven heads are seven mountains where the woman sits.  There are seven kings, also and an eighth king is the final one before the end of this age.  The ten horns are ten kings who have not received a kingdom yet but give their power and authority to the beast to make war with the Lamb of God that will overcome them.  He is our Savior the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The last part of this section says that those who are with the Lamb in that day are called chosen and faithful.  That is all the believers that have gone on to heaven with Him but will come back with our Lord to set up His kingdom here in this world and establish His government.  We as believers today do not suddenly get this title of chosen and faithful when we get to heaven.  This is a position we establish while we are here in the world each day right now.  We decide that when we made Jesus the Lord of our lives that we will answer the call of His purpose and faithfully serve Him and others as we walk out that call day by day.

  As I read these verses, I have to ask myself, am I ready for this?  Am I ready for the day that will come when I will ride back to this world with my Lord to put to death His enemies and set up His kingdom here in this world?  Am I living each day right now as His ambassador representing the kingdom with every step I take. Am I walking in the opportunity I have each day to fulfill my calling faithfully or do I just fit it in when I feel motivated and inspired to?  He gave His life for me and now my desire is to give my life back to Him for anything He needs me to accomplish to make sure that His plan is carried out.  Here’s the thing, His plan only happens in this world by the people He has called to accomplish it. I will answer His call and be chosen and faithful.

Today I want to encourage you to ask yourself the question: “What is a day to me?”  Then honestly answer yourself by listing what you fill your day up with.  Are you filling it up with activities and busyness that seems productive but at the end of your days you will have nothing eternal to show?  Or are you setting your thoughts and ways on the things above and the plan He has designed for you to walk out each day.  You will still have your activities and agenda that you have right now, the difference will be the intent of your heart.  Is your heart set on your call to faithfully reach the people God brings into your life or is your heart set on being responsible only because it is expected by others?  Only you can decide and only your can choose for you.  Decide today that you are going to take the opportunity to answer His call and faithfully walk out the plan He has for your life.  Only then will it began to make sense what this life is all about.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 17:9-14

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 

10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 

11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 

13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 

14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Don’t be Surprised

But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.  Revelation 17:7

I’ve seen a lot of things in my lifetime.  Some bad and some good. Some real and some produced from imagination.  I have a choice with whatever I look at, and the choice is to believe it or not believe, to follow or not to follow, to yield to or not give into.  Mostly, whatever I am looking at whether real or made up, I have the option to choose the emotion I will attach to it.  The things I let into my thoughts and my heart can produce happy or sad emotions.  I can feel inspired or stunted.  I can even experience faith for the future or fear of the unknown.  All of these emotions will determine what I will do next and how I will walk out the purpose of my life. 

What a person looks at in life is actually putting a lens over their vision.  Even though they may not even know it, they will process every decision through the lens of what they are taking in whether good or bad.  That is why we are warned in the Proverbs to guard your heart above all because everything flows out of what you have put into it.

In today’s reading, we pick at the vision that John saw of the spirit of Babylon.  There is an angel showing John this spirit and offers to give him an explanation of what he is looking at.  The angle asked John: “Why did you marvel?”  John was in utter shock as he saw a great beast carrying a seductive woman on it’s back.  The woman is spewing obscenities and drunk on the blood of God’s people.  John can see the power that this spirit has been given because of the people of the world yielding to the pleasures and desires that this spirit has lured them with.  This harlot spirit is boasting great blasphemies and riding around on a beast that is fierce and intimidating.  She is carrying on like a drunkard out of control with obnoxious words and gestures to the degree that John cannot believe what he is looking at.

The angel explained to John that the beast would come out of the bottomless pit and awe the people of the world with his appearance and extraordinary deeds.  Those who are in the world but not in the Book of Life will yield and surrender all to the beast and he will grow in power and dominion over the earth and cause great darkness, confusion and corruption to cover the entire planet. 

This reminds me of a warning that Paul gave to the Romans.  He said in Romans 6:16 that whomever you yield your ways to is who you are servant to.  If you are giving in to the temptations of the evil one, you are a slave to that evil.  If you surrender your will to the Holy Spirit of God, you are His servant fit for the service of the King of kings.  The bottom line is that whatever you are giving your time, attention and life to is who you are giving power to in your life.  If you are giving into temptations that lures you away from God, then you are giving power to the evil one to have more access to your life and to pull you deeper into his pit of darkness.  If you are giving your life to God and following the direction and leading of the holy Spirit, you are giving Him the power to direct your life and keep you from the attacks of the enemy.

This is the explanation for the drunk spirit in John’s vision.  This spirit has pushed it’s way into the lives and hearts of every person in the world that does not name Jesus as Lord and has great power because of the people that have let their lives be dominated by it.  They are not possessed, but they are oppressed.  This is happening in the world today on a great level, but not as it will be when that evil comes out of hell.  We have a choice each day and that is to yield to the One who saved us and loves us or give in to the bait of the enemy to lure us into his dark clutches.  Choose to make the Spirit of God your master and then follow His ways and will.  That is when you will be giving all your power to Him and that power will flow to influence the lives of those around you.

Today I want to encourage you to make a plan not to yield to your enemy.  Surrender your heart and your life to the God and Father of heaven that created you and loves you.  Ask Him to lead you in the ways of righteousness and receive His empowering grace to be able to follow His ways.  Turn over every area of your life to Him so that you will not be lured away by material things or pleasure that this world would offer.  Instead, fill up your life with the oil of gladness and the joy of the Lord by pressing into Him each day as soon as your feet hit the floor!

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 17:7-8

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 

8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Spirit of Babylon

I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. Revelation 17:6

In the world we live in today, it is very evident that the realm of the spirit is in a battle.  The two sides of the battle are good and evil.  If we could actually see into that dimension, it would no doubt look like the evil side is winning.  Yet, we as believers continue to rise up with the authority that we have been given in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit that is living within us to push back the enemy from taking any more ground.  We are fighting from a place of victory, but the enemy is quite a bit pushier than we are and is relentlessly trying to keep us from our rescue mission so that we are always playing defense instead of getting back what has been stolen from the Kingdom of God once again.  Thank our heavenly Father that we can get back up and get back out there in that battle and take back what the enemy has stolen and rescue those who have been blinded by the darkness of this present age.

Lately, I have found myself in the mindset that things look bad in the world because these are the end times.  I am not surprised at the world events going on because we were told in the scripture that things will get worse and worse here in the world.  However, as I wrote last week, that doesn’t mean that we stop praying about what is going on and mostly that people would be saved out of the clutches of the evil spirits griping the earth.  Our interceding does make a difference and it is time to step out of the fights with people in this physical world and into the spirit realm where the real enemy lives.

In today’s world, the apostle John is actually given a glimpse into the spirit realm.  He can actually see a great and horrific spirit that has covered the face of the earth.  The spirit of Babylon. The passage says that John marveled with great amazement, but what that really means is that John was horrified at what he saw. The spirit of Babylon covered the whole earth with its riches and power and deceived the multitudes to follow with its pleasures and possessions.  All the kings of the earth join forces together and take part in the abominations and corruption of that world leader and because of that, the entire world is covered in the darkness of this evil economic spirit.  The spirit is after the people who worship the true King of heaven and slaughtered God’s people and is completely consumed and empowered by drinking the blood of the saints.

The description here in Revelation 17 is very graphic and it can be easy to step into thinking that: “I’m glad I am not going to be here for that terrible time to come.”  It is true that those who know the Lord in the time that we live in, will escape these terrible judgements on the earth and the darkness that is being judged, but today, we can do something about it.

We can be the light in the world right now.  We can be the ones who let others know about the One who loves them and made a way to escape the terrible times to come.  God’s judgement in Revelation is on the evil spirits of Satanic forces, but the people who follow him will also have their part of the judgements.  There is no stopping that time to come, but there is still time today to intercede for lives that are already caught in the traps of the enemy and don’t even know it.  Join me in taking a new battle stance and commit to pray for these souls right now while we still have time to break free from the hold that the enemy has.

Today I want to encourage you to pray the prayer that the apostle Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter 1 for people’s spiritual eyes to be open to the God of heaven.

  Pray: Heavenly Father, God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give to us and those who need to receive Your salvation the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of your Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Open the eyes of our understanding to be enlightened; So that all people know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in all the saints, Thank You for showing us the exceeding greatness of Your power toward all of us who believe, in agreement with the working of Your mighty power that You worked in Christ Jesus when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your Own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all spiritual principality and powers and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.  Thank You that You have put all things under Your feet, and gave the Lord Jesus to be head over all things to the church, His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in everything.

Pray every day for the spiritual eyes of all people in this time to be open to the love and power of God to save them and make an impact in the battle of the spirit realm today and for all eternity.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 17:1-6

1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 

2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 

4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 

5 And on her forehead a name was written:

Take hold of His promises

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  Matthew 7:7

So, I noticed something recently, and it’s something I’m sure I have noticed before.  However, it is a bit more obvious to me now or just a strong reminder.  I had something very heavy on my heart, so I asked God for help with it.  It was something that was going to happen that day.  Every time I thought of it while I was at work, instead of worrying about it, I would thank God that He was working on it and it was going to all work out, and then it did!  Glory to God!  The next day, I had some stuff going on that I needed to do after work and I had hoped it would all work out, but I really wasn’t talking to or committing it to God or holding on to Him believing He was going to fit it all in.  Well, I didn’t get done working in time and it just didn’t work out.  As I was thinking about it later on I remembered that I was not so intent the second day, but how faithful God was when I was trusting Him with thankfulness instead of taking every opportunity to worry about the situation. Today’s verse is a promise from Jesus that if you ask, He will give.   It was in my believing this promise and then showing I believed it by thanking Him for it, that He worked it all out.  When I don’t keep up my faith and believe His promises, I am letting my hope slip and I have no anchor to attach my faith to.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”   It says don’t worry about anything but pray then with thanksgiving you believe that God is taking care of it.  Don’t forget the thanksgiving part.  You can be thankful for what God has already done in your life, or you can be thankful for what He is doing right now.  You can even be thankful for what He is going to do going forward.  In my particular case, I had asked God in the morning to take care of a situation and then every time I thought of it again, I said, “Thank you, Father, that you are handling this and working out all the details.”  Then I would think about all the times He came through for me in the past and thanked Him for that, and all the things He has brought me through, most of them so much bigger than what I was asking Him for right now.

My point?  That is how I stayed in faith.  By knowing that He heard my prayer, trusting that He will keep the promises He made in His Word, showing I believe Him by thanking Him for what He’s about to do, and now He is working it all out.  I showed I believed it by thanking Him instead of asking Him over and over again or begging Him saying: “Please, please, please!” 

Today, I want to encourage you to hold on to God in faith for the things you are believing He is working on.  Instead of asking Him repeatedly, start thanking Him and believe He is working on it and bringing it all together.  Find a promise in His Word to speak every time you are tempted to worry about the situation.  As you begin to thank Him for all He is doing, you will notice the peace of God coming because you know He hears you when you pray.  Any doubt and worry will fade away because even though you don’t see the answer yet, you know He is on the job and will never let you down.

Today’s scripture reading:  Matthew 7:7-12

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Good Morning Daily Dose Blog Subscriber:

I am please to announce that this month I have released the 13th Daily Dose Journal. This is a daily devotional through the books of 1st & 2nd Corinthians. I am so excited to share this news with you all! Please pick up a copy of the latest journal or previous ones at Amazon.com. Whether it is for yourself or a gift for a friend that may be struggling. I know you will find encouraging words in it and be able to write out the things that the Holy Spirit puts on your heart for the day.

Please enjoy the 13th edition of the Daily Dose Journal Series. I pray it is a blessing to each one of you!!

Blind spots

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”  Matthew 7:3

I think we all know about blind spots.  Most commonly are the ones we experience when driving.  It is the area where a person’s view is obstructed in both mirrors and windows.  Other blind spots we can experience in life are spiritual.  They are things you don’t even know that you don’t know. An example of this is when Paul went to Ephesus and asked the disciples there if they had received the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:1-2 says, “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So, they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”  They didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit.  That is a blind spot, for sure.

Today’s scripture is talking about pointing out other people’s problems when you have your own bigger issue going on.  Jesus says it’s like having a plank in your own eye and you’re trying to remove dust from someone else’s field of vision.  That plank is causing a blind spot in your vision that you have no idea even exists.  Imagine seeing someone walking around with a plank the size of a telephone pole in their eye.  They would be running into things and hurting themselves and others all the while never even knowing why they cannot move forward in life.  It is really a ridiculous and sad picture. 

The truth is we all have blind spots because none of us can know everything.  That is why we help each other out.  The problem is some of us don’t like help.  We enjoy pointing out where others are missing it, but don’t want to hear about areas where we can improve.  Instead, let’s become people who help one another in kind and loving ways.  Get yourself an accountability partner that can speak encouraging words into your life and you into theirs.  Make a plan ahead of time to help each other grow and to listen when there may be an area where growth is needed in your own life.  Don’t be like the hypocrites of Jesus’ day, decide today to look inward and recognize how you can better love others into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Lastly, if you are carrying a pole around in your eye, it is going to be hard to get close to others.  Even through the plank is just a picture of something hurtful you are taking with you everywhere, that obstruction in your view of life is causing you to not trust others and to keep the people that could be supporting you out of the areas of life that you need them.  Ask the Holy Spirit today for help getting rid of blind spots and offenses that you have allowed to blind you to areas He wants you to see.

Today I want to encourage you to ask your Heavenly Father to expose the blind spots in your heart.  Ask Him to reveal any place you may be “missing it” in life.  Areas that you don’t know exist, but they are blocking you from moving forward in your walk with the LORD.  Then be willing to listen and ask Him how to eliminate the “spots” once you identify what they are. Thank Him for the empowering grace to grow through the issues and come out on the other side in a position to help others overcome their blind spots too.  Also, consider who you can connect with that you trust to speak gently into your life.  Come up with a plan to personally grow into all that God has planned for you to become!

Today’s scripture reading:  Matthew 7:1 – 6

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 

4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 

5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

 

They finally get it

_{And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.  Revelation 16:21}

One evening this week there was a warning that came over my phone about a severe thunderstorm.  It was one of those alerts that makes your phone start beeping very loudly to make sure that you see the message.  The report said that this storm could bring with it strong winds up to 80 mph.  That seemed very high to me.  I stepped outside to find my husband tending to the few tomatoes plants that he had moved to our raised garden so that they could begin to get some natural sunlight.  It had gotten very dark outside even though it was still very early in the evening.  What I noticed most of all was how calm it was.  It actually seemed like the air was completely still.  I told Jack the news of the alert that I had just read and asked him if he wanted help bringing in the plants.  He said he thought they would be ok under the plastic canopy that he had constructed for them.  I walked around on the porch looking for anything that could be blown around to make sure everything was secure.  As I did that, I began to pray and thank my heavenly Father for His protection over our home and all our property and neighborhood.  This next part may sound silly to you, but I took my authority with the name of Jesus over the wind and told it to go around our neighborhood.  I also prayed for our children and family to be safe and protected.  Then I continued to thank Him for His love and power to protect and prayed Psalms 91 to remind myself that He has put His angels in charge of us to keep us (safe) in all our ways.

It was just a few short minutes later when the wind began to blow.  I could see it coming across the valley toward our home.  Coming right along with the wind was thunder and lightning.  By the time the wind arrived at our home, I was at the door and stepping inside.  I continued to thank God for all His protection.  Protection from falling trees, which we have had many fallen during storms in the past.  I also thanked Him for protecting our electricity.  The storm alone lasted about 15 minutes and it was not as close as some storms have come to our house in the past.  At one point, Jack come up from the basement and said there was some water coming into the house.  He went out to check the gutters to make sure none had gotten clogged, but that was the extent of our concerns.  Right after that, the winds died down and the thunder began to fade and get further away.

I believe we were protected, but I don’t have any way of proving that it was because of my prayer.  There was some damage in our little town and other people in our area lost power for over a day. You will never be able to convince me to stop praying when storms come or to stop taking authority over the weather elements.  I may sound foolish talking to the winds and the storms, but as long as I see the results of no destruction, I will continue to speak out in the name of Jesus over all my circumstances.

Today’s reading is about the seventh angel in heaven pouring out the seventh bowl of God’s wrath on the earth.  This bowl produces a great storm with thundering and lightings, a great earthquake.  So great that all the islands and mountains are no longer found.  With this storm there is huge hailstones about the weight of a talent.  I took the time to look up how much a talent is and that can be anywhere from 75-100 pounds.  That will cause some damage for sure!

As we read through Revelation 16, I found it very irritating that the people of the world were cursing God for the bowls being poured out and not running to Him for protection and salvation. However, as I read today’s passage, I finally realized that they finally get it and are choosing their side. The people and leaders of the world in that day are acknowledging God to be the source and they are gathering to fight against Him.  This is great progress.  In the world we live in today, many people deny the very existence of God and others simply think He is a non-player and has nothing to do with us here on the earth.  Finally in the days of the seven bowls being poured out, there will be no more denying the God of the universe.  He is given all the credit for the judgements being poured out.  It is clear that the arrogance and pride of people have become so great that they think they have a chance to finally overcome and conquer God almighty!  Man will fight with all the weapons of the physical world such as: guns, tanks, planes, bombs and millions of troops.  All God has to do is shake the earth and entire cities will fall, mountains will crumble, islands will sink to the bottom of the seas and great hail will fall to once again thwart the plans of the enemy, but that evil will not stop until it is completely eliminated by the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

My frustrations are over and now I get it just as they get in in that great day of judgement.  The grass will wither, and the flowers will fade away but the Word, promises and plans of the Lord will stand forever.  Nothing that man can devise in his heart is able to stand against the purpose and design of God!

So again today, I want to encourage you now, before it is too late, receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior before it is too late.  Don’t fight against the Holy Spirit of God that is working in your heart even now.  His love for you is so great and He has provided this time for you to turn you life over to Him and to not be fooled by the coming domination of this world leader.  If you are a child of God, rejoice and thank Him for the provision and protection He has for you and all His people and when the storms of life come (and they will), walk them out in the protections and authority that He has already given through His Spirit and the name of Jesus.  Lastly, don’t get angry and frustrated with people who don’t understand that God is always at work in their lives, drawing them to Himself.  Instead, do your part by sharing the love of God and the message of salvation and then thank Him for those who will come along after to water those seed that you have planted in other people’s hearts.

If you want to invite Jesus into your life today, pray this prayer of salvation and He will come in and direct your life’s path as you acknowledge Him in all your ways:

Pray: God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today.  I know Your Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in the blood of Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 16:17-21

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 

18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 

19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 

20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 

21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

Watch for Him

“Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.” Revelation 16:15

We live in a time when most Christians believe Jesus is coming back to get us, sometime very soon.  We don’t know the day or the hour, but we can discern that the time is near because of the signs around us and the events that scriptures foretold that are unfolding even today.  We can get caught up in the debates about nobody knows the time or consider the controversies of the perilous times we live in.  But there is one thing we can know for sure . . . we are closer to that day than ever before in history.

I actually remember the first time I heard that Jesus was coming back to get His people. I was only twelve years old and it terrified me. I read in Revelation 19 how He would come on a white horse with eyes of fire and many crowns on His head. He will wear a robe dipped in blood and the armies of heaven will follow Him on white horses. He has a sword in His mouth and He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. It was quite an overwhelming picture for a twelve year old girl. However, now in this time that same passage inspires me and I long to see the day of His return! 

In today’s reading, the apostle John wrote about a special blessing for those who are watching for Jesus’ return.  This is not the return to get His bride before the great tribulation starts.  This is His return when He comes to set up His kingdom here in the world.  However, I believe there is a blessing for those who are watching now.  The blessing is in the desire to see Him come.  As we anticipate His return to take us to heaven, it is a great blessing and thrill to know that we will be with Him and also that we will escape that terrible time to come on the earth. 

2 Timothy 4:8 says Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.  We are promised a crown of righteousness if we love His appearing and coming for us. In Revelation 16, the kings of the earth will gather together to fight the Lord of glory, but the will fail.  They are no match for His great power.  He will simply speak and defeat all the armies of all the world.

Today I want to encourage you to think about the Lord’s return.  What a great day that will be.  Let it sink in that He loves you so much that He has made a plan to take you out of the treacherous times to come.  He will not let you suffer like those who don’t believe, and He will not leave you here to navigate the perilous times of the great tribulation.  Spend some time thanking Him for His great plan and that He has secured your place as one who will escape.  Then continue to do these things until they grow up in your heart and your greatest desire becomes to meet Him in the clouds one day soon!

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 16:12-16

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 

14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

You are the light

Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.  Revelation 16:10

Before the invention of electricity, darkness was not such a rare commodity.  There were candles and before that even torches, but nothing that would light up a room like a 100-watt light bulb.  When nighttime came, people when to bed and slept when it was dark and got up when the sun came up.  They utilized the daylight hours and for the most part let their bodies rest when it was dark.

In the modern times that we live in, lights are burning 24/7.  When it gets dark out, we just turn on lights in our homes and on our streets.  If we walk into a dark room, we simply flip a switch and like magic, light appears.  In today’s world, we would be hard pressed to find a truly dark place without intentionally going there.  Even the stars and moon of the night sky provide light for the nighttime in all the world.

In today’s reading, the fifth angel that came out of the temple in heaven pours out his bowl on the throne of the beast (anit-christ).  That is when his kingdom will experience complete and utter darkness. This darkness will completely paralyze his kingdom and it will be a deep heavy darkness that will cause their pain to be escalated.  People are already suffering from the previous four bowls.  The loathsome sores, the seas and waters turned to blood and the scorching of the sun.  These people are already in deep pain and the darkness will magnify that.  They will only be able to hear the voices of the people around them who are also suffering.

It is hard to imagine this kind of darkness.  I have questions like:  what has happened to the electricity and why can’t they light candles or use flashlights?  I guess if the sun and moon are not shining, it is not impossible to understand that the man-made electricity would stop too.  Just as this darkness will magnify the pain in their bodies, it will also be all the more evident of the spiritual darkness that these people are in.  The passage says that they increase in blaspheming God and their hearts are even harder against repenting.

In today’s world, we know there are many people in spiritual darkness.  We see the blind leading the blind everyday around us.  As dark as it looks in today’s world, it is nothing compared to the darkness of the fifth bowl.  Today, there is still hope for the dark world we live in, and we can be praying for hearts to be softened to the touch of the Holy Spirit.  Our interceding for others is the open door that God desires to reach into the lives and rescue those who have fallen so deep into a pit of spiritual blindness.  Instead of despising the darkness we see each day, begin to pray and intercede for those held captive by the enemy and have been blinded to the salvation that they so desperately need.

Today I want to encourage you to be thankful for the light we have.  Not just the physical lights of electricity, but the spiritual light of God’s love and salvation.  Then be the light to the lost world around you.  Lead the way to God’s great love as you carry His light of love and compassion for those stuck and suffering in the traps of the enemy.  Reach out while there is still time to gently encourage a neighbor or friend that may not know they are blind.  Be the help to others as you show them there is hope.  Intercede for those who cannot see for themselves the spiritual needs they have and ask the Holy Spirit to soften hearts and open the eyes of people’s understanding to all He has for them.  Even when you don’t see the seeds that you have planted flourish, know that they are lying dormant until the next light comes along to help them grow.  We are in a unique time in our world and we are the harvesters of this great end time harvest.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 16:10-11

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 

11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

There is still time

And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.  Revelation 16:9

Last week there was a lot of excitement about a solar eclipse that took place on Monday.  Evidently it was a rare phenomenon, and it is predicted that it will not happen again until 2044, 20 years from now.  My husband and I sat out in our yard with our eclipse glasses on and watched as the moon moved between the earth and the sun.  At one point the air became noticeably warmer and at the point of 99% coverage it was noticeably cooler. I wasn’t surprised about the drop in temperature, but it seemed as the moon was moving in front of the sun, the rays were intensified.  I don’t really understand the physics of it all, but I do know that it was a clear demonstration of how the moon and the sun affect the temperature here on the earth.

In the reading today, the fourth angel that came to of the temple, poured out his bowl on the sun which produced a scorching heat in the world.  I have experienced a scorching once when I overextended my exposure in the sun and didn’t realize I was getting burnt.  It doesn’t happen much in my part of the world, but there are many places where severe intensity can produce burns even up to the 3^rd degree.  However, when the angel pours his bowl out on the sun, this will be beyond anything we have ever experience up to that point.  Yet, people will not call out to God for help, but will instead blaspheme His name to a greater extent than then have before. Their hearts will be hard and unrepentant.

What I find most interesting is that there is still an opportunity to repent.  God is so willing to receive people when they call out to Him with a truly repentant heart even to the point of the last days and final call to reach them.  This is good news for us today.  No matter what you have done in the past or even what you are doing right now, God wants to rescue you and save you from an eternity, separated from Him.  All you have to do is call on His name, turn away from evil and have a truly repentant heart.  He has a place for you in His plan and in this world right now, but you can only accomplish it by receiving His love and empowering grace to get you there.

Today I want to encourage you to give your life over to Him if you have not before.  Call out to you loving heavenly Father before it is too late.  He is ready to receive you to Himself as you receive His great gift of salvation.  He will lift you out of any pit that you have gotten into and put you on a path of totally walking out the plan and design for your life.  He has a planned purpose and part for you to do in the big picture, get in the body today and begin to fill the purpose that you have been called to.

If you have never received the Lord Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life, do that today by praying the prayer below from your heart.  He will come into your life and change the world that you live in from ok to best.

Pray: God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today.  I know Your Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in the blood of Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 16:7-9

7 And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 

9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.