A Revelation Of What’s Coming

The Holy Bible is a book of Revelation or an unveiling of future events, often interpreted as the “end times or last days,” detailing a period of tribulation, judgement, and ultimately, God’s restoration of all things.

It teaches us how to live a righteous life in His eyes. We are witnessing some things on earth that surprise us or gives us a sense of dread. The amazing thing is that it lines up perfectly with the Bible.

The end times or last days is the concept in scriptures like Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation it speaks of a specific period of time before the 2nd coming of Jesus, characterized by various signs and events.

Jesus foretold that before His return, there would be “wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes and pestilences (sicknesses).

The Bible describes a period of intense suffering and trials, often referred to as the “great tribulation,” preceding the return of Jesus.

The Bible predicts that Jesus will return to earth, and this event is a central theme in the book of Revelation and other prophetic scriptures.

The Bible speaks of a final judgment where God will separate the righteous from the unrighteous or the good from the evil, followed by a new heaven and a new earth where God will once again dwell with His people.

The Bible warns of a “false Christ or antichrist” who will deceive many before the return of Jesus. Some theologians say he will come from the Middle East.

There are Specific scriptures and interpretations in the book of Revelation that are particular sources of prophetic material, detailing events leading up to the end of three age, the return of Jesus, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom.

In Matthew 24 Jesus gives a detailed discourse on the destruction of the temple and the signs that will precede His return, including wars, famines, earthquakes, and persecution.

The Book of Daniel contains prophecies about the rise and fall of empires, and the coming of the Messiah, and the end times.

The Bible contains many other prophecies and warnings about the future, found in the Old and New Testaments.

The Bible has a lot of symbolism and metaphors. It’s a prophetic language that often uses language and imagery that require careful interpretation.

Context is key. Understanding the historical and cultural context of prophetic passages is crucial, for accurate interpretation.

It’s important to avoid creating rigid timelines or dates for the end times, the Bible emphasizes that the timing of these events is only known by God.

The primary purpose of prophetic revelation is to reveal God’s character, His plan for salvation, and Hid ultimate victory over evil.

It’s no surprise we are living in chaos today. God shows us all of this in His Bible through the Pages -His revelation on what’s happening.

Tattoos

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

I have a tattoo already on the calf of my leg of a panther. While It doesn’t bother me, I wish I had never had my body inked.

I got it as a dare when I was young. When some people see you tattooed they automatically judge what type of person you are.

Describing Myself

What is one word that describes you?

One word I would use to describe myself is compassionate. I have a deep understanding and willingness to help those in need. I hate to see people hurt, probably because of the hurt I’ve experienced in life. And I don’t want any other people to feel the pain I have had to deal with.

Never Make A Deal With The Devil

Do not make a bargain or compromise with someone or something that is considered evil or dangerous. The potential consequences can ultimately be detrimental. Even when it seems like a quick solution to a problem. It may be tempting but could lead to disastrous in the long run.

The devil (Satan) represents a malicious force that will always try to trick us into giving up something valuable (like your soul) in exchange for temporary benefits.

There’s a classic German tale called “The Legend of Faust. It centers on a man who makes a pact with the devil, exchanging his soul for knowledge and power. The legend is loosely based on the life of Johann Georg Faust between the years 1480-1540. He was a German alchemist and practitioner of necromancy which was a form of black magic.

The core of the legend is Faust’s deal with the devil represented by Mephisto, a demon. Faust is dissatisfied with his life and yearns for knowledge and power, agreeing to surrender his soul in exchange for his desires. The consequences of his pact are ultimately tragic. He is driven by ambition and a thirst for knowledge, leading to a life of both great achievements and devastating consequences.

The term “Faustian” has come to imply sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, and material gain.

The moral of the story is it’s not worth making unethical choices or sacrificing integrity for short-term goals.

Compliments

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

I have been told I am a strong woman. I am strong because I had to be. Self-sufficient, and making my own decisions without relying on others.

There was just simply no other choice. There are certain circumstances where strength becomes a necessity, a default state rather than a conscious decision.

Sometimes people are forced to be strong, not because they choose to be, but because the situation demands it.

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice” -Bob Marley

The Mysterious God

God does not come to us in nicely defined explained thought categories. God does not fit Himself into our theological textbooks. God breaks our rules. He is near, yet transcendent, clothed in human form, yet holy, and more terrifying than can be imagined, yet compassionate, and invisible, yet revealed, judging yet merciful, and sovereign, yet humble. No matter where you look God breaks the molds. Skip Moen said that in a book I’m reading for a Bible study.

Not matter who we are, or where we come from, every one of us have an idea about God. Whether you don’t believe God insists or He created the world and not just sits back and watches it not interested. Or even think He is a she or an it. Maybe that God is just an ultimate 911 service, only to be called in an emergency, or a cosmic police officer, waiting and watching to catch you breaking laws. We are sometimes engrained with these images of God early in our lives by our parents, our cultures, and even the church.

The issue is that none of these images can adequately capture who God is. The Bible reinforces this over and over. Our descriptions of God cannot even begin to capture His majesty, glory, and infiniteness. He is holy, awesome, vast, and eternal. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Our limited minds and finite lives simply cannot fathom the depth and extent of God.

It is only God who reveals Himself to us that we can even begin to get an accurate picture of who He really is. And this revelation comes to us in three ways: through creation, through Jesus, and through the Bible.

All we know about God comes from His revelation about Himself. We only know Him as He discloses Himself to us. Because of this, we must keep two things constantly in our view. We can know God and have confidence about what He is like, but at the same time, we will never be able to understand Him completely. We know enough about God to love, revere, and worship Him, but most of God will remain mysterious because it’s beyond our comprehension.

C.H. Surgeon puts it this way,

“There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity, so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity.”

We will never be able to fully grasp all of who He is.

Vacation Time

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

Every year my husband and I always go somewhere to celebrate our anniversary. This year makes 36 years of marriage.

I’m excited this year because both my children will be joining us. A road trip through Arizona and Nevada means warmer weather, good company, and many memories.

Raised In Fear

I was raised in fear. My mother used fear as a parenting strategy. She manipulated me by fear, fear of getting hit, and fear of her screaming about how terrible she thought I was. Along with that, there was neglect, like not feeding me, or not allowing me to speak and I better not cry around her or it would just get worse.

Fear-based parenting varies from situation to situation. Some of the examples I have lived are being hit, and being verbally abused, not being fed, and the fear that everyone would hate me if I didn’t do as she told me. To her, I was a horrible person, so horrible that God even hated me.

I was in fear all the time, which created anxiety and sadness so much so that I didn’t enjoy too many things growing up. Because I believed I was a horrible person, I had very low self-esteem and trust issues. I felt like I wasn’t loved and felt alone. Isolated myself from people because of it still today. Some days I have to force myself to get ready for the day and do something productive, otherwise I would stay in my house and become a recluse.

For many years I made bad decisions. I’ve made some mistakes and have had to deal with the consequences of those actions. In my younger adult years, it was because I felt that if no one loved me or cared, why should I care? I didn’t think of the consequences of my actions. And it led me to pretty dark places.

My father worked tirelessly to take care of his family. He wasn’t around much. It wasn’t until he retired that I got to know my father for who he was -an amazing kind hearted man.

After years in therapy, I am improving. And I know a God that loves me and shows me grace and mercy. All in all my life has turned out pretty dang good. I have an amazing husband who has stuck with me through it all. Because I chose to not raise my children the way my mother raised me. I broke the pattern, and have some pretty amazing kids.

I thank God everyday that He had restored my soul and had forgave my sins, and given me a second chance.

Lost Blessings

As I’ve looked over my life I’ve concluded that there is nothing more painful than a lost blessing, one that I know is a direct blessing from God that is taken away by God because I didn’t handle the blessing the right way.

Scripture is full of accounts of lost blessings in which we should learn lessons for our own lives.

The most obvious lost blessing happened with Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve paradise, which included a close, personal relationship with Him, and a life of purpose and direction that would have likely been eternal. Adam and Eve could not manage one simple command and lost it all, resulting in a lost relationship with God, hardship in marriage, hardship in work, and hardship in mind, body, and spirit. Oh yeah, nature fell, too, resulting in all the natural disasters we have as well as diseases affecting us like cancer.

So, what is the lesson of this lost blessing for us? Beware of talking snakes? For me, I hear God saying, “You can do this the easy way or the hard way, it’s your choice. Adam and Eve took the hard way by not doing what God had asked them to do. They didn’t trust God that He was doing what was in their best interest. I know for me when I don’t do what God asks me to do it usually results in the hard way as well.

God will give us free will to choose whatever we want, but Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that if we do not choose to do things God’s way we may find ourselves having a much harder time in life than we need to.

Losing a blessing from God is brutal because I know it is my own fault and know that I will never get that blessing back again.

But God is good. He uses all things for the good of those who love Him so I will be blessed again once I prove I am mature enough to handle the next blessing that can glorify God and impact my life.

Confident People

Who is the most confident person you know?

Confident people tend to exhibit traits like self-assurance, decisiveness, and a positive self-image, believing in their abilities and taking calculated risks without fear of failure. They are also assertive, express their opinions clearly, and don’t seek external validation.

They have psychological traits like believing in their abilities, assertiveness, resilience, and do not worry about things that are outside of their control. They focus on what they can control and don’t let external factors affect their control.

They also don’t feel the need to put others down to feel better and maintain a balanced and respective perspective.

Wanting What God Wants

It took me a long time to realize that God does want to give me the desires of my heart, but not until my heart changed to reflect His desires. His promises are certain and I can be happy in a future with Him.

I’ve heard people say that praying is hard. Different churches have different ways of praying – sitting down, standing up, kneeling, and lying. No matter which way we pray, we need to know what God wants us to pray about.

The Apostle Paul had a “thorn in his flesh.” He prayed to God multiple times to remove it. After the 3rd time, God answered him God offered Paul a choice of three options. God could remove the thorn, and Paul could get on with life and ministry, leave the thorn, and Paul would forever have the “thorn” and it would slow his ministry down, or he could leave the thorn, but have God’s grace and strength would remain with Paul. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Wow, what choices.

Life presents us with many choices, our choices may not be the ones Paul had. Paul’s choice was choosing between what he wanted and what God wanted, it wasn’t an easy decision.

As God’s children, we have to understand that wanting certain things is not a sin, but wanting something outside of God’s timeframe, outside of God’s will, and God’s Word can cause us to become absorbed in pleasing ourselves at the expense of not pleasing God.

Sometimes we can want something bad enough that we become short-sighted and make bad decisions that are determinantal to our health, or the well-being of others, or even cost us our relationship with God.

For example, you may want a new car, instead of being content with your current one which is working fine. While wanting a new car is not wrong, getting a new car payment into an already overspent budget may not be the best decision at the time. Time is everything when it comes to wanting what God wants for us.

Most of the time we don’t wait for God’s blessing or answer to our prayers and take matters into our own hands. (Proverbs 3:5-6). Instead of following and trusting in God, we lean on our own understanding and acknowledge Him in our ways, we move forward without waiting on God.

My pastor explains it this way. “We were never supposed to eat from the tree of good and evil. God wanted us to rely on Him for everything.”

Lack of faith and patience in God will always lead to unpleasant and unwanted results. When we trust in God’s timing He will handle everything, whatever it is He has for us will come to pass. And what we want won’t interfere with or supersede our relationship with Him.

God is a loving Father, He knows us better than we know ourselves and He sees potential danger in our path. He can steer us clear of anything that will hurt us, even if that means not giving us what we want.

Prioritizing our needs is the first step in making wise decisions, and our need for God’s presence in our lives should be at the top of the list. His grace will provide us with so much more than anything that we could ever want.

God answered Paul’s prayer by not removing the “thorn” but by giving Him grace and the strength to endure it.

I have suffered from migraines since I was 12 years old. I’ve been to countless doctors and taken countless medications to help them. But nothing as worked or the side effects were worse than the migraines. I’ve prayed for years for God to take them away to no avail. But He has given me grace and strength to endure the. There are a few supplements that help take the edge off, so I’m thankful for that.

The one thing that we all need and want in our lives is someone who loves us and wants what is best for us. No one will ever care and love us more than God.

Holy Spirit Or Conscience

Everyone has a conscience. It’s why people sometimes say “Something told me.” We were born with it, and we grow with it. Conscience is that part of our being that is morally aware. It condones or excuses our actions. It can make us judgemental, leading to commendation or condemnation of ourselves and others (Romans 2:14-15).

We are spirit beings. We have a soul, and we live in a body. Conscience is an intangible aspect of a person, including the soul, mind, and emotions. It is an evaluative instinct. In Proverbs 20:27 says “The spirit man is the Lord’s lamp, searching all his innermost parts.”

But our conscience should not be mistaken for the Holy Spirit who lives in those who are saved by Jesus (Luke 3:16). The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is outlined in John 14:16-17.

“I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another counselor, that he may live with you forever. The spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive, for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.”

The Holy Spirit also convicts the world (the unbeliever) concerning sin (John 16:8-11).

There are many scriptures in the Bible that mention the conscience, confirming that even as a believer who has the Holy Spirit, our conscience is still very active. Our conscience does not leave us because we have been saved (born again). It continually informs our decisions daily as we either listen or ignore them. Our conscience is that inner voice that tells us what to do or not to do.

In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul reminds us that a good conscience plus faith produces genuine love. Our conscience can testify to our conduct.

Distinguishing between genuine or fake believers. Titus 1:15-16 reveals that our conscience can be corrupted. Because of our flesh, our conscience is prone to deception (1 Timothy 4:2).

However, it is not only true believers who strive to have a clean conscience. Unbelievers seek a clean conscience also. This is why those who don’t have faith in God still live morally upright lives and choose to do good instead of evil. This is the reason I believe that people who live “good” lives think they are going to heaven. It causes people to regret or defend their actions. It is an early warning system for every person, including children. Those who usually defend their heinous crimes are often thought of as having no conscience, but in reality, it was the choice they made to ignore their conscience.

Ignoring your conscience as a true believer shipwrecks your faith (1 Timothy 1:19). The Bible talks about a seared conscience in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, God draws attention to deceiving spirits that crave attention and seek to “settle the score,” and teaches hypocritical lies.

Our conscience serves our fleshly desires despite its important role. Our conscience is part of the flesh that wages war with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:17). Although it helps us be good people, our conscience does not save us, otherwise, Jesus would not have had to die for us (John 3:16).

Genuine believers who are saved or born again have a helper in the Holy Spirit, and best yet, the blood of Jesus cleans and purges our conscience (Hebrews 9:14). As a born-again believer your body has two spirits our spirit body (our conscience) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bears witness to our conscience. The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth (John 16:13).

Paul in Romans 9:2 is convinced that the Holy Spirit would confirm the truth guided by our conscience. But our struggle is largely caused by the factors that influence our conscience, including our senses, emotions, thoughts, circumstances, personal experiences, and the environment we are in. This can cause us to mistake the voice of our conscience for th voice of the Holy Spirit.

I have a friend who is a Christian psychologist. He told me something that explains how this works very well. He had a client that came into his office saying the God told him to kill himself. My friend told him, he didn’t think it was God’s voice he was hearing. Because God is love and God doesn’t want anyone to hurt themselves or others. He spoke to the client and convinced him that it was not God, but his broken conscience that he was hearing. Of course I paraphrased this, and I’m sure it was more professional than that but, you get the point.

A personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is a sure way to know His voice and distinguish it from others. The Holy Spirit’s voice always aligns with God’s will and Word, our conscience only aims to please the flesh.

Wrongly attributing our conscience to the Holy Spirit can present the Spirit of truth as the author of confusion. Two people can claim that “the Holy Spirit told me” that contradicts each other on the same subject.

It’s easy to mistake our conscience with the Holy Spirit. So, make sure you know the Holy Spirit’s voice, and if you are confused check to see if it aligns with the Word of God.