I’m Still OK

Well, I figured after all the text messages and emails I’ve been getting, coupled with the fact that I got a notification that my “blog stats are booming,” I’d better write a post and let you know I’m OK.

Most of you have probably heard of the surgence of violence and State of Emergency that has been declared for Ecuador. It’s actually just a result of our new President finally doing what should have been done ages ago – declaring war on these local gangs that have partnered with international drug cartels (from other countries) and taken advantage of our weak government these past few years, to overrun the country with escalating violence. Our little country is sandwiched between two of the largest cocaine producers in the world (Columbia and Peru). These cartels are in a turf war to use our ports for the lucrative practice of shipping their choice product to their top consumers – the U.S. and Europe. Of course, in all these kinds of things there are many complex contributing factors. But it’s really just the same thing that is happening all over the world and that Jesus told us would happen in these last days – the escalation of lawlessness and the battle between light and darkness.

So am I sorry I moved here? Not for a minute. I still feel more safe and at home here than I ever did in the U.S. And I still know without a shadow of a doubt that God brought me here. Some of the reasons I’m starting to see, but I probably won’t really know why until I’m on the other side. However, I know if I’m where He wants me to be, it is the safest place I could be.

I’m in a small, quiet fishing village, in a small, quiet gated community and I am home most of the time anyway. I’ve got plenty of food and supplies for me and my kitties (I’ve learned to keep things well stocked, because anything can change in a moment). And most importantly, I live in Psalm 91. 😇

My view as I write

Prepare To Stand

Hello Everyone – it’s been a while! But here we are on 11/11 and the NINE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the day I moved to Ecuador!!! 😮 It has been incredible to watch so many of the things the Lord showed me were coming unfold (and we ain’t seen nothin’ yet!). So I thought today would be a good time to post this recent video series (8 episodes) that a friend shared with me. In it, Pastor Andrew Brunsen (who was held in a Turkish prison for 2 years because of his faith) shares his testimony, warning to American Christians, and practical ways to prepare for the rapidly coming wave of persecution. I HIGHLY encourage you to prayerfully watch, process and PREPARE TO STAND.
(NOTE: click the 3 lined bar in the upper right corner of this video to access the entire series and not just the first episode)

Are You Getting Ready?

I know I have not written much in the last few years. Not because of lack of things to say, but of too much to say and the time taken to say it better spent on other things. But this morning in prayer, I felt the unction of the Lord that I needed to put this question out there, so here goes – are you getting ready? The obvious rhetorical question is, ”For what?” The answer is, for a wedding. But not just any wedding, it is THE wedding.

There is so much I could say on this subject, but the Bible has much more to say on it – in fact, it’s really the whole climactic end of the story. And yet for the most part, it’s been almost completely ignored by the western church culture that’s mainly focused on the ”good news” being about making their lives better in the here and now. But allow me to let scripture speak for itself:

Revelation 19:6-8: “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean
    was given her to wear.”
“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

Note the key phrase – “The BRIDE has made HERSELF ready.” What bride, in the days, weeks and even months before her wedding, isn’t wholly consumed with getting ready for that day?

If we look at the book of Esther (remembering that everything in the Old Testament was written for our instruction and spiritual application), we can see the amount of preparation that went into her getting ready for her ”night with the king.”:

• Esther 2:12 – “Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.”

So what are we as the ”Bride of Christ” expected to do to “make ourselves ready”? You might say, ”I don’t have to do any work. Jesus did the saving work for me and there is nothing else I need to do.” Really? Let’s look at a few of the many examples in scripture of our part in our preparation:

• 2 Peter 1:5-11 – ”For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

• Hebrews 4:1-2 & 11 – ”Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed…Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
  
  
• Luke 19:11-26 – (I won’t quote the whole thing here – you can read it for yourself, but note that all the servants were each given one “mina” coin – they were each given salvation. Look at the response to the servant who did nothing with it):
  ”Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
  “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
  “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
  “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
  “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’”

• Mark 4:18-19 (from the ”Parable of the Sower/Soils” which tells us what causes us to not multiply what God has given us): ”Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

• Matthew 7:24-27 – (at the end of His famous ”Sermon on the Mount” Jesus says): ”Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock…But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
  
  
• James 1:22 – ”Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

So friends, how are you doing on your wedding preparations? How much of the Word that you have read do you actually do? Can you say with Job, “My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:11-12)

We are living in sobering times. Truly the days of this age are rapidly coming to a close. I hope that you are as serious about preparing yourself for that time as a bride is in preparing for her wedding day. I’ll leave you with Matthew 25:10-13:

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.
The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Giving Thanks!

So here we are in a new year – is there anything about 2020 you can give thanks for (other than it’s over)?  Actually, I have been giving thanks all throughout 2020.  Most especially because the Bible says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  And I can wholeheartedly say this is how I’ve spent my year.  I learned a long time ago that I am the one who chooses whether pressures and difficulties make me “bitter or better.“  This year has allowed me to experience the fruit of those choices.  I confidently stated before I left the US and ever since, that great shakings were coming.  They have come, and like the “birth pains” the Bible has prophesied, they will continue.  This past year was the “flash flood” that exposed the hidden foundations under our houses.  Thankfully, many have been awakened and have seen this past year as a time to examine what their faith and hope was placed in: Good health? Financial security? Government? Comfort? Routine? Friends/family? Job?  This year has shown us that if our faith and hope is placed outside of anything but God, we are on shaky ground.

Yes, if you look on the surface, it looks like everything is collapsing all around.  But for those with eyes to see below the surface, life is bursting forth!  “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)  This year, although mostly shut away in my house, I’ve never been busier!  In the fall of 2019, God quite providentially connected me to pray with an organization that makes disciples in some of the darkest countries in the Middle East. I quickly became a prayer coordinator/leader, and we have been doing multiple weekly Zoom prayer calls long before Covid made it cool! 😊 I can tell you that God is moving in amazing ways all across the world to begin to: 1) unite His body in global prayer; 2) fulfill Jesus’ final prayer to make us one; 3) reap a great harvest across the earth.  The acceleration I’ve witnessed the Lord do in the Spirit this year from my “upper room” vantage point has been nothing short of amazing!  And yet, it’s only the beginning…

So in the words of the Apostle Paul, I would like to encourage you to begin 2021 with “…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2) One way to do that is to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities only recently afforded to us to gather with the global body in a “virtual Upper Room.”  Today was the first day of a 24/7/365 Zoom prayer call room, where groups from all over the world will come together in worship, prayer and praise all day and night for all of 2021, with a corporate gathering each Friday at 6:00 a.m. pacific/7:00 a.m. mountain/8:00 a.m. central/9:00 a.m. eastern.  You can go to this website to learn more and register for access to the private Zoom link:

Global Upper Room

I hope that no matter what 2021 holds for you, at the end of it you can joyfully say, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Excellent Perspective

Hello Friends,

I wanted to share this article that was recently published by Dr. Michael Brown (a Messianic Jewish Believer).  He summarizes very succinctly here, the perspective I’ve been viewing this thing from since the beginning.  I hope it will encourage you too:

https://askdrbrown.org/library/getting-god’s-perspective-current-crisis

The Return

In the weeks and months after 9/11, people flocked to churches in America.  But the return was short-lived and people quickly fell back into their own ways, while the nation continued its downhill course.  The warning judgment was virtually ignored.  So what will the church in America do with this message now?  What will YOU do with it?  The fate of the nation hangs in the balance.  Has the salt lost it’s saltiness, or is TRUE repentance still possible?  May God have mercy on America, because if she doesn’t return now, there will not be another chance.

(8 minute video):

Focus

For those with “ears to hear,” this is a powerful word for the body of Christ in this hour!  I’ve tried to communicate this for some time, albeit poorly.  But she perfectly articulates the message God has had in my spirit.  It’s 20 power packed minutes to encourage you during the shakings, that will only continue to increase.  I’ve already watched it several times.  May you be blessed!

Do You Have Enough Oil?

I’ve been hearing unbelievably sad stories of the panic that has fallen in the US, and some of the ridiculous “preparations” people are making, in hopes that they can ride out whatever might come of all this.  I want to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ that there is only one essential thing you should be storing up in abundance during this time.

I’ve preached this message for many years now, and it’s mostly fallen on deaf ears.  It’s relevant now more than ever.  In Matthew Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish virgins:

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
(Matthew 25:1-13)

The “shakings,” “birth pains,” “tribulation,” etc. – whatever you choose to label it, they are here.  They’ve been here, but like some women in labor, many in the church have chosen to just endure each one, and then fall back asleep in between contractions.  But finally something is happening that should awaken even the most anesthetized among us.  So how are you doing in your faith?  God is so merciful to allow these things to happen to show us where we have anchored our faith and hope, and realize that if it’s in ANYTHING outside of Him, we need to make an immediate course correction.

But the time is really short now.  As the parable explains, there will come a time when it’s too late to get more oil. The bridegroom is coming, but isn’t here yet.  We have to wait through darkness until he comes – do you have enough oil (faith) to sustain you?

There are some who have believed the false teaching of a “pre-tribulation rapture.”  Although the Bible clearly admonishes us all throughout, they haven’t prepared themselves to suffer and endure the difficulties coming.  They risk being swept away in the “great falling away.”

I continue to plead with God that this is still a merciful wake-up call.  That those in the “Laodician Church” of the West still have sufficient time to get themselves firmly anchored in truth.  But the time is unbelievably short now – do not delay a minute longer.  Do not do what the apostles did in the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus continued to admonish them to stay awake and pray.  But they continued to fall back asleep.  When the time came to stand in the darkness, their faith was too weak and they ran away and abandoned their Lord.

My blog stats show that few of my followers choose to read these types of posts.  They aren’t “ear tickling” enough.  “May he who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes…” (Revelation chs. 2 & 3)

“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (Jude 1:20-21)

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see….And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:1 & 6)

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

More Perspective

Just FYI – in Ecuador, we’ve rapidly gone from imposing quarantine restrictions on incoming travelers from high risk COVID-19 countries effective this past Friday, to complete lock down in our homes announced last night.  Long story short, God has providentially and abundantly supplied all that I need, without any advanced concern or planning on my part.  I have been and remain in perfect peace.

PSALM 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

PEACE

Perspective Continued…

To all my believing family in the U.S. who are trying to navigate their way through all the fear-driven insanity, I offer two things to encourage you:

Isaiah 26:
3 You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.