DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE

Belief is a power tool in our lives. History is full of examples of men enduring countless moments of death, mighty armies, unbelievable odds on their shear faith of believing something that was spoken or written that was divinely received. So too is the way of the Bible. Jesus told the disciples, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9:23) Now I will be the first person to admit I do not have the total revelation on this verse I do not have the ability to "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22) nor have I ever met anyone in my entire life who could "ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive," asking yes receiving always no. Maybe someday I will be able to operate in these verses, but for now I am content in walking in the revelation I understand that God has given. You know we will never get more revelation from God till we walk correctly in what He has already given us. Yet in my spirit I am troubled. Within me there is a struggle between my desire to see America be the light and salt to the world (spreading the wondrous Gospel message around the world) as I believe God created her for. America was not created by God to spread freedom and democracy around the world oh no in God there is no freedom or democracy only our total obedience and unflinching commitment to our king. Some of my friends say America was birthed in rebellion, well this may be true America did break free of England, but if we take a good look at England spiritually she was the light bearer of the Gospel till around the middle 1700s when she began to slip into humanism which she still thrives in today. God needed a new light bearer and America was birthed in His heart and today we celebrate our 239th birthday. Sadly America too has slipped into humanism (because of the humanistic message the church now preaches) and so much more over her many years and today she is no longer the light bearer of the Gospel in the world as God ordained. The other side of the struggle I see play out in the scriptures and I know (somewhat) what is going to happen before Jesus comes back. When I do not know, it is not important, but what is important is He said He is coming back and we must believe it. The struggle in me manifests my belief or maybe my unbelief in His word. For example do I believe such a verse as: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13) Do I really believe I am a "pilgrim" and "stranger" on this earth, if so I would think I would not be so concerned about my home car, my retirement, all of the eases life can afford, oh no if I really believed this verse I would be more concerned about doing the things God wants me to do. Maybe my TV watching would be cut way back maybe completely cut off from my life. The TV is not our friend. How many Christians watch more TV, spend time on the internet surfing for ungodly websites, and playing ungodly sci-fi computer games than they do in prayer or reading their Bibles? How about this verse? Do we really believe, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Do we really believe God promises us tribulation in the world? Who would want to believe that? And then He says, "be of good cheer" really? To believe all of this one must believe Jesus has "overcome the world." Do you really believe (I do) Jesus overcame the world? How about a verse like this one, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Do you believe there will be a great falling away? But that is not what I hear on Christian TV oh no I hear there is a great end-time revival that will sweep the nations, but that is not what the Bible says. I guess the writers of the word of God did not have a TV program to pay for. Notice "let no man deceive you by any means." You know we will never be deceived if we know the truth that is why the truth is so dangerous to people (like on Christian TV) who are not honest and full of integrity. Here we go again with another promise from God. Who would believe, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12) "Suffer persecution" oh no God must have made a mistake, I do not want to "suffer persecution" I want to know what my destiny in God is. Well my friend our destiny in God is to die to our selfish, arrogant, carnal nature, and the best we can ever hope for is to be a servant just like Jesus and to die like John of an old age, anything else is presumption. Now we must not get moved out of God by the SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage. The church reacted in panic (same way we are acting today) and outrage in 1973 when abortion on demand became the law of the land, but in time they forgot the spiritual damage done to the country and marched on with life building bigger barns and storehouses. We must allow the Holy Spirit to open up our eyes of understanding to the devastation this ruling is bringing to America and to the whole world. This way we will know why things are happening. It is amazing how soon we forget, but before God can give us mercy He first must judge us, judgment always comes ahead of mercy. God was not moved by the SCOTUS's decision. He was not taken by surprise, nor has it changed His plans for America. As a matter of fact I would believe it plays right into God's hands for America. Do we believe God knows the beginning and the end for America? Better yet do we believe God knows the beginning and the end for each and everyone one of us? Who would believe God would send us out into the world (even in ministry) like this, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.:" Matthew 10:16-24) Well is the servant (us) greater than the Master (the LORD)? Do we believe this? If they vilified (so they could marginalized Him) and then killed Jesus do we believe we are going to get any better from the world? The evil spirits then are still in the world have not changed, there is nothing new under the sun. In Genesis when the men of Sodom wanted to commit sodomy (a homosexual act between two men) with the Angels Lot offered up his two virgin daughters, but they replied, "And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door." (Genesis 19:9) In other words, Lot who are you to judge us watch out we are going to get you. The same thing the sodimites of today are saying to God and anyone that stands up for the truth in the word of God. The world is lost and the things we seem to love in the world will destroy our Christian witness and our lives. All of those things that seem harmless, fun, and even makes sense, but in the end will put us out of God. Christians hear me loud and clear take great heed to your soul get off of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) before it is too late. They will use social media to round Christians up in the future. They are already using social media today to track us why do we think they will not use social media for other ungodly purposes? What else in our lives have such sway? Let us face the truth the "nominal church" has not engaged nor has it effected the social culture of the world. And why? Because she has willfully given up the moral high ground (we have the words of life) to politicians and other liars for political favor and financial gain. They (the nominal church) have allowed men and women who despise our God stand behind the sacred desk for popularity and worldly acceptance. They (the nominal church) have supported and encouraged ungodly spiritual truth by calling evil good and good evil compromising the word of God deceiving many. I asked the LORD what must America (the government and the people) do for Him to turn His wrath away from America and quickly and with a resounding roar in my spirit I heard these words, "the government and the people must humble themselves before me, put prayer back in school, stop murdering their children, and overturn the abominable ruling on same sex marriage, and then I will heal them and their land. Now here is the good news fear not my friends God has always had remnant and today is no different. Yes it is true America is a sinking ship spiritually and you better be in the life boat of His protection and safety bad times are coming our way, but all though out the Bible God has protected those who (how about you?) put their faith and trust in Him. Their times were tough, persecutions, tribulations, many have died for their faith, but God has always had a remnant He could build on to see His intention done on earth as it is in heaven. My friends in the last days Christianity will continue to break into two. There will be the apostate false church (better run out and take your family now before it is to late) and that which remains true to the Gospel and a biblical worldview, which one are you in? The true Church (remember we are the church) will boldly speak the truth on moral issues while the rest compromise and fold into the lies and half truths of today's multi-cultural world. At the beginning of the age we had an anti-Christian pagan culture that persecuted believers well it is back. We are at a pivotal point this new period of total lawlessness and apostasy in which whole Christian denominations are falling in line with the world’s changing view of marriage (and other things God hates) is only the latest symptom that the world and the Church are racing in different directions. Friend we are watching the gradual shift and in some cases a total change of tectonic significance. You know I always thought I would never be alive to see the return of Jesus Christ to the earth, but now I am not so sure do this increased rate of ungodly change. I feel in my spirit we are living in the most exciting times know to man and we are standing on the threshold of the greatest event ever known to man. God has a plan for us all and He will bring it to pass, yes our God reigns and we shall reign with Him if we only believe. Written by David Stahl