Weeks 43 & 44 (08) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

The Americans have chosen their new President. A new era has dawned in the USA and in the world. It signals a change that will bring the End that much closer.

The election of an African-American Senator Barack Obama as the 44th President of the USA will bring a change to an America that has become very unpopular in the world community in recent years. It sets the scene for greater international co-operation in foreign, economic and, may I add, religious policies. America will continue to lead the western world, but it will be in partnership and not in isolation. It prepares the world for working closer together against radicalism and pave the way for a period of world peace, which will ultimately lead to a One-World Government and a One-World Religion in the years ahead.

I know in my heart that the true mover & shaker of the world is the Lord Himself. "He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases" [Prov 21:1]. I sense in my spirit that the Lord is creating a window of opportunities for the nations to be more open to Christianity and for the Church to reach out to all - Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, Gays, Greens..............& finally the Jews, and dispel the myths and lies about our God's true nature in Christ Jesus, which is righteousness and justice. God loves sinners, but not their sins, which include pride and unbelief.

The biggest challenge for the Church in the years ahead is balancing grace and truth, extending our hands to all people, yet standing firm on the Christian faith that salvation is found in Jesus ALONE [Acts 4:12]. There will be pressure for the Church to conform to an all-faith Religion, but only those who stand firm till the end will be saved [Matt. 10:12].

This passage in Ps. 119 reflects my heart and aspiration towards God. "I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. Ensure your servant's well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.......I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes. It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken. Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path." [Ps 119:121-128 NIV]

I like to think of myself as the 21st century Caleb because his life inspires me. "....Caleb...said...."You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,.....I....followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly......Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then......" [Josh 14:6-12 NIV] I wish I could still be fighting fit (in spirit) and strong in the Lord at 85. :o)

I firmly believe that the End-time Church will be an overcoming church, overcoming the world pressure to conform. The Church must be sensitive to God's voice and open to His rebuke and discipline at a time such as this. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." [Rev 3:19-22 NIV]

Let us heed the Lord's exhortation that "A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed-- without remedy......A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor." [Prov 29:1,23 NIV]

Amen!