One night a thief broke into a house he thought was abandoned. As he walked then the darkened house with a flashlight he heard a voice from the kitchen that said, “Jesus is watching you.’ He stopped and said, “who’s there?” There was no answer so he thought he must have imagined it. But after he took a few more steps, the voice said again, “Jesus is watching you.” He decided to walk toward the voice, just before he entered the kitchen, he heard it again, “Jesus is watching you.” He swung the flashlight up and saw a parrot talking in a cage. The parrot said, Jesus is watching you.” The their turned flipped on the kitchen light and said, “Why you’re just a dumb bird.” The he looked in the corner of the room and seen a huge Rottweiler couching. And the parrot said “Get him Jesus.”
You might think it’s strange that Jesus would compare Himself to a thief. Of course, Jesus isn’t identifying with the sin of stealing. But just a good thief (that’s a oxymoron).that tries to sneak in quickly and quietly and escape with His people. That’s an accurate description of how Jesus will rapture His church.
We should all be living as if Jesus was crucified yesterday; raised from the dead this morning, and is coming back this afternoon.
1 Thessalonians 5: 1-4 tells us, “But concerning the times and the seasons, you have no need that anything be written to you. For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come to then, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.
We should know these 4 things
1. Jesus will return, But we don’t know the exact day.
Can you imagine a thief sending you a text or email saying, “Just wanted to know that I’m coming to rob your house tonight.” Of course not. Thief’s don’t announce when they’re coming. They sneak in and out.
When I was growing up my Dad used to do military funerals when a soldier or veteran would pass away. My father would keep all the guns in his closet. One night when no one was home the house was broken into and all the M16 rifles were stolen. He was very upset because they trusted him with these rifles. For a long time there would be someone home, or a neighbor would be watching the house.
Jesus told us to keep watch, because you don’t know on what day the Lord will come. We need to understand, if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let the house be broken into. So we must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him (Matthew 24:42-44),
There have been times throughout history when many people expected Jesus to return. We use the Gregorian calendar now, but when the Julian calendar turned from year 999 to the year 1000, people expected Jesus to come for a new millennium, the same was true in the year 2000. People were on their best behavior, In the year 1000 history says that worldly goods were sold and money was given to the poor. Prisoners were set free, and many traveled to Israel to wait for Jesus’s return,
In the second and third chapter of Revelation, Jesus gives messages to the 7 churches, which represent all churches of all time. When He wrote to the church at Philadelphia, He says, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I also will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Revelation3:10).
In Luke 17 Jesus compares His return to a couple of Old Testament events. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the dat Noah entered the ark. Then the flood cane and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and suffer rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son Of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26-30).
Every trial we endure that makes us feel hopeless always serves as a test to refine our faith, ultimately producing endurance, character and spiritual maturity.
When situations appear insurmountable, they can draw us closer to God or further away from Him. They either foster dependence on Him, rather than self-reliance.
James 1-2-4 encourages viewing our trials ad joy, as the testing of faith produces endurance. Any trial we face are not wasted but refines our character and demonstrates God’s faithfulness.
When I find myself in a trial that seems hopeless, I try to ask God, “What do you want me to learn through this?” As with any life journey, it’s all about perspective. If we go in thinking “This is going to be horrible,” it probably will because that’s what we expect.
We can learn about intimacy with God from looking at Moses and Jesus and their progressing from general awareness to profound face to face fellowship, emphasizing a journey from outward experience to inner transformation through revelation, faith, and dedication.
We hinder our intimacy with God by interns barriers like pride, unwillingness to change, and shame, as well as external distractions such as busyness, worldly desires, and people pleasing, along with spiritual obstacles like unconfessed sin, self-reliance, and doubt.
It can seem that with all the things against us, we are doomed to live away from God. That’s why it’s so important to make time for Him every day in prayer, and studying the Bible. We need to have humility, and repentance, and prioritization.
Moses maintained a place outside the camp to meet with God, where the Lord spoke to him, as a man speaks to his friend. He also frequently interceded for the Israelites, actively standing between them and God’s judgment, which deepened His reliance on God.
Despite leading millions, Moses remained the “meekest man on earth, prioritizing God’s will and instructions over his own, which allowed him to grow in understanding God’s ways.
Moses was not satisfied with just God’s promises, he demanded to see God’s glory and wanted to be in His presence. Moses tells God in Exodus 33:15, “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Moses prioritized God’s company over the promise of His presence, without being promised that he would go into the promised land with his people.
Through these actions, Moses built a lasting, intimate friendship with God that was characterized by trust, dialogue, and a proud desire to know God’s ways.
Intimacy is built through consistency rather than a single event, we need to focus on inviting God into our ordinary moments.
One of the most difficult phases in life that we all go through is the phase of grief. Mine was of my father. Moving past the intense, early, phase of grief involves actively processing emotions, establishing routines, and practicing self-care.
I took care of my father for the last 10 years of his life. In that time we became very close. One thing I learned in the process of grief is that fighting my feelings didn’t work. I had to allow myself to cry and experience the pain to move through it. That being said, it took me 6 years to even open a box of his possessions.
Still, today if someone says some quirky thing my father used to say, the memories come flooding back and I get emotional.
It’s something I’m sure no one who has grieved someone can relate to.
The Bible is clear that there will be great deception in the last days. Jesus warned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” And Paul wrote by the Spirit that some would “depart from faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” in 1 Timothy 4:1. I believe that we are watching this take place in our time. Many are being led astray because they are not prepared spiritually. They do not know God’s Word as they should. They have neglected prayer and fellowship with the Lord. Because of that, they are open to deception.
One of the greatest dangers is this hour is the trickery of deception. It does not come wearing a label warning that says, “This is false.” It comes through teachings, and social media, that sound good in the natural mind but are not rooted in the Word of God. It comes through emotional experiences like feelings that are mistaken for the Spirit of God. It comes through ministries that draw people after themselves instead of after Jesus.
The Spirit of God has said repeatedly that through prophecy and written word that many would be deceived in the last days. Yet many act as though this could never happen to them. They believe they are too mature or too grounded to fall for it. This is pride, and it opens the door wide open to deception.
Deception comes through lack of spiritual preparation. Many believers fail to spend the time with God that they neglect His Word. They become spiritually dull because thru neglect prayer. When they are in that condition, they cannot discern truth from error.
God always prepares His people if they listen. But many do not listen. They choose entertainment over time with Him. Thru choose the opinions of people over the truth of the Word. Because of this, their spiritual discernment is poor. When false teachings or false movements arise, they are swept along because they are not well grounded.
They can be deceived by the wrong associations. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33). If we continually listen to voices that are not speaking truth, it will affect us. Even if we think we are strong it can dull our spiritual edge. Many have been sitting under wrong teachings or being influenced by believers who are not walking in truth.
Some believers are deceived because they desire manifestations more than they desire God’s Word. They run after signs and wonders but do not judge what they see by the scriptures. Remember satan counterfeits everything God does. He will produce lying signs and wonders. If we do not know God’s Word, we will not know the difference. The Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to the Word of God. If we stay full of God’s Word, we will not be deceived.
Many believers will be deceived by rejecting sound doctrine. They want messages that please their flesh. They want to hear about blessings and prosperity, not holiness, obedience, and the fear of the Lord. We need to seek out churches that are seeker-scary, rather than the ones that are seeker-friendly. If we’re not getting convicted by the truth, it’s not a true church. If we only feed on messages that appeal to our flesh, we can be an easy target for deception.
There is only one way to safeguard ourselves against deception – a strong foundation in the Word of God, a life of prayer, a heart that is humble and teachable before the Lord. We have to judge everything we hear by God’s Word. We must “test the spirits.” If we don’t stay till of the Holy Spirit we will be in danger.
Don’t open a door to pride, through neglect, or wrong associations. Don’t ignore checks in our spirits. When we ignore the checks by the Holy Spirit, we override the warnings of the Holy Spirit and will open ourselves up the deception.
Today it is more important than ever to stay spiritually alert. Don’t assume you cannot be deceived. Test everything by the written Word of God, and listen to our inward voice.
God is speaking to all believers clearly, but we just have ears to hear Him. It’s more important than ever to stay close to Him and stay on the right path.
I believe in destiny as a purposeful, divine plan, crafted by God rather than blind fate by focusing on redemption, eternal life, and becoming more like Jesus.
I believe God has a specific plan for everyone of us as well as every nation, including “a hope and the future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
while God is sovereign, we are accountable for our actions. Destiny is not fatalistic. It is brought on by obedience, faith, and diligence and it is required that we walk in it, while sin and disobedience can derail our destiny.
I think we have two destinations with ultimate consequences, eternal life, or destruction.
destiny is not just a far off, future event, it is lived out daily by God‘s purpose and unfolds in the present.
Reverence for God isn’t profound attitude of awe, deep respect, and love that honors His holiness, authority, and character. It is a comprehensive way of life -not just a feeling that involves submitting to His will, obeying His commands, and treating sacred things with honor.
Without reverence we cannot have an intimate relationship with God. This “godly fear” is considered the foundation of wisdom and a key to righteous living.
The key aspects and expressions of reverence for God include:
Heartfelt Adornation and Awe
It is a recognition of God’s greatness as Creator and Savior, fostering a sense of humble, fearful, and joyous respect.
A Lifestyle of Submission
Reverent goes beyond worship services to influence daily decisions, actions, and speech, ensuring their lying with God‘s will.
Obedience and Holiness
It involves taking God’d word seriously, departing from evil, and living a life of moral integrity.
Worship and Service
Genuine, humble worship often characterized by rejoicing with trembles it’s a primary way to express this reverence.
I used to think of worship as singing praises to God. But I was humbled by the Holy Spirit showing me in Genesis 22:4 that when Abraham went up to sacrifice Isaac and told his servants to wait while him and Isaac were going to worship God. Abraham was worshiping God by being obedient to God.
Consequences
It implies a wholesome dread of not pleasing God, recognizing the importance of His holiness.
Reverence can sometimes be described as a consuming fire or a shepherds staff that guides believers toward righteous, intentional, and focused living.
“The holy fear of the Lord gives us the clarity we need to discern God’s will” – John Bevere
The most ambitious project I ever taken on was to change myself, and my perspective of the world.
It required me to look at myself and recognize that no one was there for me, and if I didn’t change I was going to go on being miserable. But changing the way I lived and perceived things was not going to be an easy task.
It required a combination of self-awareness, consistent action, forgiving myself and those who hurt me, and a whole lot of patience. I had to focus on small, inactive habits, and those things don’t happen overnight.
“You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy. In Your right hand there are pleasures forever more” -Psalm 16:11
Real confidence is rare. Most people play it cool. It’s easy to straighten our shoulders, arch our backs, stick out our chests, and talk tough. For most of us, the emotional confidence and security of our souls are hard to find.
It’s not a surprise that all of us are sinners, and we are surrounded by sinners, in a fallen world. How can any of us truly experience the deep peace and joy of authentic confidence in a world that wears masks of security?
David shows us a significant path from fear to confidence, from instability to security, from anxiety to authenticity. His lasting joy begins with the plea in Psalm 16:1
“Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in You.”
Then amazingly verse by verse, he declares with confidence, “ I will not be shaken” in verse 8.
There is so safer place to hide than the arms of God.
David has a change of heart. Realizing who God is for us can transform everything.
What we believe about God can be life and death for us today. It can make all the difference if, we like David, know God to be our reliable Savior, He should become our greatest treasure.
A reliable Savior
God saves us from harm by being both our safest refuge and our trusted counselor. There is no safer place to hide in the arms of the omnipotent God. Psalm 16:7 says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel.” Not only does He protect us, He provides wisdom from within through the leading of His Holy Spirit.
God can save us from the fears that threaten us, and guards us by intervening to guard us from harm’s way, and guides us out of trouble. Knowing God as our savior, both as refuge and counselor inspires confidence that, what ever comes our way is a resource beyond compare. He is not only our Savior, He is sovereign.
Sovereign Lord
David says in Psalm 16:5, “The Lord assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.” Whether we are drawing straws, rolling the dice, or seeking our next breath, whatever happens to us is from God. He rules over our lives, not just in the big picture, but in all the little details.
When life is difficult it might not seem comforting that He is in control. But if we know ourselves to be God’s, and let God be ours, then this knowledge can become stabilizing. It doesn’t mean that we will not walk through pain or defeat, but it does mean that we are assured the final victory. It doesn’t even mean we will win every battle, but it means we will win the war.
God is not only our reliable Savior and sovereign Lord, but He is our greatest treasure. David says, in Psalm 16:6, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.” David is rejoicing in the sovereignty of God and that leads to embracing Him as the greatest treasure.
Greatest Treasure
David says in Psalm 16:2, “You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.” God is the ultimate good. He is the foundation of the river of all delight. All other hoods are truly good only when they are in Him. Apart from Him, all other good things will prove empty in the end.
But what does David mean in the next verse, verse 2, “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” How can all David’s be in other people, and God still be his greatest treasure?
David does not say that he delights in God’s people rather than in God, but that people who reject his God give him no pleasure. Godless people living in godless ways, do not meet with his approval and admiration. He is to captivated by God not to see the folly in godless living. because he enjoys God as supreme as well. His love for God spills over in love for those who love God. His love for those who love God doesn’t compete with his love for God, rather it complements it. Delight in others is an extensive of his delight in God.
True Solid Joy
David closes with assurance. Having begun with a plea for God to preserve him, he finishes in confidence and hope. He has moved from a place of anxiety to awe, from pleading to praising. His troubles now basked in the glory of God.
“My heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices, my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life, in Your presence there is fullness of joy, at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalm 16:9-11
As solid as David’s confidence is, ours can be even more solid today, Jesus took came in the flesh, and lived without spot of wrinkle, and bore our curse on the cross, and God did not abandon His soul to Sheol, the place of the dead. God’s raised Jesus us to complete His conquest of Satan and rip the doors off there hinges from the inside. In Jesus’s victory over the grave, we are freed from our fear of death.
“Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing Him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” -Hebrews 2:14-15.
Jesus is now seated at His Father’s right hand, He is the final destination on the path of life. H is our fullness of joy. In Him are pleasures evermore.
Maybe I’m crazy, but I don’t see the point in being someone else for a day. I would just return to being myself after the day is over. God made me who I am someone who is caring, meaningful, and usually have interesting perspectives on things. I am curious, adaptable, and sometimes witty.
I embrace my individuality and uniqueness, that’s who God made me, so why would I choose to be anyone else, even for a day.
There are three fundamentals qualities we have to possess to enjoy and fulfill the mandate God gave us here on earth
Self-Control, Self-Discipline And Sound Mind
These are interconnected traits that describe a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. They enable us to live with stability, wisdom, and purpose rather than fear. These represent the Holy Spirit’s influence that allows tempered emotions, wise choices, and controlled desires.
Without self-control, we are destructive not only to ourselves but to God’s purpose for our lives. Without self-discipline, we remain defeated by all kinds of circumstances. And without a sound-mind, we are invaded by things that cause us to be unstable in our convictions.
Self-Control
Being self-controlled is the very foundation for living a life of righteousness and selflessness that reflects Jesus and brings glory to God. We have the power to bring sin under control when we have self-control. But without self-control, sin controls us.
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” -Proverbs 25:28.
A city without walls simply means we are exposed to any kind of sin, lies, manipulation, fear, sexual immorality, pretence, and anger. Basically, anything can come through our thoughts, control our actions, shape our habits, and form our character.
The problem with sin is that it wants to grow. Whenever sin is given a doorway, it is not satisfied with being a little secret, sin grows and ultimately destroys whatever thing it inhabits. Like a thief, it comes to “steal, kill, and destroy us” (John 10:10). Lack of self-control will destroy marriage, career, relationships, and our lives.
Without self-control, we can destroy in one day, what took us years to build. We are the ones who bring a threat to every heroic thing we’ve done.
Psychology defines self-control as “The ability to manage one’s impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals. Self-control serves as an executive function necessary for individual goal attainment.”
Biblically, self-control is not only an ability to impose restrictions and boundaries on ourselves to achieve end goals, but it’s a “fruit of the Spirit” that produces the glory of God. The difference here is that self-control is not something that comes from our desire to achieve something, but it is a virtue that emanates from our spirit. Self control is something we do as a result of the person in the presence of the Holy Spirit inour live lives. This means a self control is an act of our spirit over our flesh, which is evidence of the active presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
In fact, self control is a spiritual practice that keeps us grounded in our godly nature. Self control is not what we do to get somewhere in life, but something we do to remain where we are in God -righteous and holy.
As human beings we are habitual beings, we live better when we have established habits. Good habits, benefit, and power, our well-being, inspire our development, and inspire success in our lives. On the other hand, bad habits caused us our time, rope, help, and money And deprive us of the life. God intended us to have through his redemption.
If we want to change how things are in our lives, we need to change our habits, change how we spend our time in the comfort that we have cremated through our old habits and replace them with new habits.
Self-Discipline
We can turn our spiritual convictions into habits, with self-discipline and repetition. Subjecting our bodies to strict rules to gain control of the key. Our willingness to suffer temporary pain, being inconvenienced, and delaying gratification to experience joy and freedom in our spirits is what matters most. In other words, make our bodies a slave to our spiritual convictions so that our spirit can be free to worship, serve, and live for God.
Self-discipline is the steady determination to keep going come hell or high water. Discipline is what makes us choose to do what ought to be done, when flesh tells us to do what we want. Self-discipline is not optional it’s a virtue, and sometimes we have a hard time choosing it. But if we practice it every day it becomes a desire that helps us grow and become more Christlike. The best thing we can do is to cultivate it. It is by discipline that we take hold of the means of grace of God has provided for our spiritual flourishing.
Thankfully God has given us the source of discipline by giving us His Holy Spirit. This means He has given us the power to actually be self-disciplined. But, it needs to be cultivated.
We need self-discipline in order to achieve anything of significance.
Sound Mind
A sound mind is a right judgment of things based on the Word of God. Having a sound mind is to have and maintain God’s perspective of oneself and our surroundings. It is to have an elevated outlook informed by God’s Word and inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is not something that comes naturally to us as humans. The Bible warns us that in the world we will have many troubles but it goes on to say in John 16:33, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” God is the One who gives us a sound mind but it is up to us to keep it.
“For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” -2 Timothy 1:17 (KJV).
A sound mind is interpreted as self-control, self-discipline, and good judgment. I believe that Paul was saying to Timothy, do not be intimidated but rely on the Holy Spirit who gives power, love, and a stable mind.
We don’t have a sound mind when our mental framework is subject to fear, past trauma, and low self-esteem. A good example of this is what happened during COVID. People were going crazy, because of the fear that the government, and main mainstream media were telling people. Now the same thing I’d happening with some who are fighting laws that have been on the books for a few hundred years, thinking it’s something new. When we respond to our circumstances, opportunities, and challenges through clouded emotions such as fear, instead of self-control and correct interpretation of things based on the view of the Spirit which leads to calmness and confidence in God it can lead to disaster.
A sound mind isn’t something that just happens to us by default. We need to be self-disciplined and in control of our thoughts and imagination. The Bible asks us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and seek things that are above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).
“Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is good, well pleasing, and perfect will of God” -Romans 12:2.
“If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God“ -Colossians 3:1.
The ability to control our thoughts is very important in maintaining and enjoying liberty in Jesus.
God has given us so much through His promises and blessing through His Son, but we do not get to fully experience them because of the lifestyle we subject ourselves to. We are already free, but that freedom depends on our lifestyle, we can undermine or uphold our freedom by how we think and conduct ourselves. It all begins with our thoughts.
No matter what life throws at us if we maintain a sound mind and keep in mind Jesus and all He has done for us, we can trust that God works for our good (Romans 8:28). A sound mind is a gift from, God, never surrender it to any circumstance or situation in life.
The life we are called to live is a life of warfare. We are in a constant battle to subdue the desires of the flesh, (Galatians 5:19-21) and to reject every opinion/imagination that is against God in our lives (2 Corinthians 10:4-6
The way to win this battle is by “walking in the Spirit”
“So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” -Galatians 5:16
There is no benefit in the flesh, no matter how much we go out of our way to satisfy it. Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life.”
I pray that we gain back control of our minds, and have dominion over our flesh. And our habits come from our convictions, and we are fruitful and effective in our knowledge of Jesus and a life worthy of the calling we have received. Amen
Banning words is ineffective, counterproductive, and fosters self-censorship, and fails to change underlying behaviors or prejudices. In many cases it makes people feel stigmatized rather than encouraging genuine communication. Just because you ban a word doesn’t do anything to change a person’s behavior or how they feel. That being said, word have a profound, tangible power to encourage, heal, and build up, or to destroy, discourage, and cause emotional or spiritual death. Choosing our words carefully because we all have to deal with the consequences of those words.
From Pity to Praise 