End Times Witnessing: Famine Years – Bad to Worse

One day before the stock market plummeted, while praying a routine prayer for his family, the watchman was led in the spirit to read the following passages: 2 Kings Chapters 6,7, and 8:1-6. It was indeed awesome when he saw the headline the next day!

Summary:

6:1-7 th floating axe head. He has not yet received the meaning of this passage in relation to his family. But he found relevance in the statement from the disciple prophets to Prophet Elisha that “this place where we meet with you is too small. let’s go…there we can build a new place for us to meet.” Indeed lately he has run out of rooms in his house for the sudden arrival of the younger generations.

6:24-7:20 Samaria was besieged but the lepers plundered the enemy’s camp. There was a great famine in the city. But God intervened and caused the enemy to flee for their lives, abandoning all their possessions to Israel. Overnight there was a drastic drop in market prices!

8:1-6 This is about a woman from Shunem whom Elisha advised to leave home with her family during the seven years of famine and after the end of which returned home to re-claim her house and land successfully. She was even compensated for the values of the harvest of her crops during the period of her absence.
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The watchman suggested that readers SEEK GOD NOW for your own situation and direction for the famine years. Decode the above passages yourselves.

Days after Quakes and Tsunami: “Never Let me Go”

A sixty year old Japanese man was rescued from a piece of floating roof after two days. He told the rescuers that he had lost his wife.



The watchman once got to know someone through sharing the same interest of reading books written by Kazuo Ishiguro . Here are some quotes from Kazuo Ishiguro. The excerpts are from “Never let me go” (2005) and “The remains of the day” (winner of the Booker Prize, 1989)


Quotes_____________

“I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever.” (Never Let me go)

”Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”

“You say you’re sure? Sure that you’re in love? How can you know it? You think love is so simple? “

“The evening’s the best part of the day. You’ve done your day’s work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.”

“Sometimes I get so immersed in my own company, if I unexpectedly run into someone I know, it’s a bit of a shock and takes me a while to adjust.”

“What can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished? The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our services. What is the point in worrying oneself too much about what one could or could not have done to control the course one’s life took? Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy. And if some of us are prepared to sacrifice much in life in order to pursue such aspirations, surely that is in itself, whatever the outcome, cause for pride and contentment.” (The remains of the day)

“It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed.”

“Indeed — why should I not admit it? — in that moment, my heart was breaking.”

“…and I half closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I’d ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it, and if I waited long enough, a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field and gradually get larger until I’d see it was Tommy, and he’d wave, and maybe even call.” (Never Let me go)

“Your life must now run the course that’s been set for it.”

“Memory is quite central for me. Part of it is that I like the actual texture of writing through memory…”

“When we lost something precious, and we’d looked and looked and still couldn’t find it, then we didn’t have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we grow up, and we were free to travel around the counry, we would always go and find it in Norfolk…And that’s why years and years later, that day Tommy and I found another copy of that lost tape of mine in a town on the Norfolk coast, we didn’t just think it pretty funny; we both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts.”

“The problem, as I see it, is that you’ve been told and not told. You’ve been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.”


“There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.”

“As a writer, I’m more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened”

“You’re always in a rush, or else you’re too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken sleep have all crept into your being and become part of you, so everyone can see it, in your posture, your gaze, the way you move and talk.” (Don’t we all?)

Hear what Jesus says about your new life

Hear what Jesus says about your new life in Christ


Luke 18:29-30 (New Living Translation)

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

Luke 21:19

“By standing firm, you will win your souls.”

Luke 21:34-36

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”


John 6:63

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

8:47 “Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”


John 10:9-10

“Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”


John 12:26

Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

John 12:46


I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.


John 14:16

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.”


John 14:21

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”


John 14:26

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”


John 15:3

“You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.”


John 15:7

“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”


John 15:10

“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”


John 16:13

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”


John 17:2-3

Jesus prayed to the Father, “For you have given Him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given Him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One you sent to earth.”


John 17:16-17

“They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.”


New Living Translation (NLT)

can one love both God and the world?

New Living Translation (NLT)

Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 16:26

26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

1 John 2:5

5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.

1 John 2:15-18

Do Not Love This World

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

1 John 3:7-10
7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

1 John 5:18-19
18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

1 John 2:18
Warning about Antichrists
18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.


New Living Translation (NLT)

day 109: surely you don’t want a millstone hung around your neck

Jesus warned the disciples, “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

No Christian parents would want to cause any of their children to sin. No sane and normal person would want that in that matter. So why did Jesus warn the disciples (Christians)? Was it not irrelevant to give them this obvious commandment?

You may not think it relevant to you. But you are wrong. Jesus knew you could cause your children to sin. You could lead your children into temptation and personally deliver them to the evil one, although every morning you pray to the Father God not to lead you into temptation and deliver you from the evil one.

Do not feel insulted and stop reading right now. Just look at the list of temptation I summarize below. Tick off those you do not have and come out with a net list for your own immediate action.

List of temptations and death traps that parents have often led their children into:

TV and other multi-media entertainments (violence, sex, immorality, immodesty, anger, revenge, killing, disrespect and hatred of parents and elders, hatred of good people, love of bad and evil people, selfishness, degeneration, demotion of human to beast level, dehumanization, bigotry, chauvinism, racism, greed and covetousness, jealousy, worldliness, vanity, materialistic and many more evil values), video and computer games (of similar evil and anti-Christ values), junk food, sweet drinks, caffeine, alcohol, gluttony spirit, poverty spirit, fear and rejection spirits, depression and oppression spirits, lack of self-control spirit, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life and many more. (Pease read 2 Timothy 3:1-5)

You know exactly what you have allowed your children into. God knows too.

I have made the same mistake and have repented of it. I once thought that children need to have what their peers have. Children must not be deprived of the world’s goods and services. Children must keep up to date with the world. Children will gain respect and acceptance from their peers if they have all those worldly stuff. Children will have high self esteem when they do not feel left out as compared to their peers. Children must be given the best that money can buy and many more.

Every child must have started on innocent, simple and seemingly ‘harmless’ TV, video programs and video games. No parents will be foolish and evil enough to start their innocent little lambs on violent, hatred and immoral sex stuff. However, many parents who have gone this broad way of allowing the world values to come into their living room soon found out that the child had grown into a monster in no time. There is no way to harness the monster once it is unleashed.

There is no point trying to reform your child when he is old enough to rebel when you could have led him to God, helped him to build his character and habits on the solid rock of Jesus and the Biblical values instead of leading him into the world to pursue the world’s “pleasure”. Looking at the world today you do not have much time to train and equip your child to resist temptation. You have about ten years counting from birth at the most. By ten years old they are fixed and their hearts and minds are hardened like stone. Their habits and characters are patterned according to what you have input them during the ten formative years.

Good Christian children became evil. How can this happen? Who are the ones who were responsible to ward the child off evil? Not lead him or her into temptations? Lead the child to watch and pray daily just as Jesus has commanded? Ask yourselves. Blame no one else.

Who you are predicts who your child will be.

There is no need to look into the Chrystal ball or have great dreams for your child. Just look at yourself and the values you value, the way you spend your time, the thoughts you have, the words you speak, the focus you have set your heart on. Lead them to heaven or to hell. Your choice. Meanwhile do not sing you love God or you surrender all to God anymore in church as it is a blatant lie. God knows.

AAA Jack

DAY 90: YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHOICE: CHOOSE GOD

During the last few days I was bothered with one thought. I kept thinking of what Jesus had warned in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
These are very strong words. Jesus rarely used harsh words except when He was confronting the Pharisees gang, the descendents of the devil (brood of vipers, serpents). This is a serious matter.
Jesus contrasted the two objects of worship. On one side is God. On the other side is mammon. One may argue that no one worships money. People just want money for meeting needs and wants (buying things, security, comfort, pleasure, health and may be long life). But Jesus speaks clearly that people who do not worship God worship money.
Not only those who do not worship God are worshipping money, they hate and despise God. They love money and are loyal to money.
Are all Christians worshipping God the way that God has commanded? If not, then they are worshipping money and hating and despising God too. How do we know whether churches are worshipping God or money?
Simple. Just look at the priority on the church agenda.
If they put activities that meet the goals of making the church membership and hence finances (and all fixed assets) grow, then they are not worshipping God.
On the other hand, if they put activities that meet the goals of drawing members to meet God closely and live Biblically in the presence of God, (living in the Spirit and walking by the Spirit), with the purpose of knowing God and His kingdom, then they are worshipping God.
You can actually see obvious worldliness in the church that worships money (and all man-made things). There is no difference between them and any worldly organizations, except some Christian lingo used (in vain).
In the godly church you can sense the obvious difference. When you enter you sense the presence of the holy and glorious God. You cannot help but kneel down, bow low and prostrate yourself, seeing how lowly you are and how majestic God is. You spend hours in stillness. You are awed and grateful at the same time. You feel honored and privileged to be in God’s presence. The whole focus of worship is God, not man. By the time you come out of the worship, you are soaked with God’s presence.
Unlike what popular worldly culture thinks, God is not in the big noise made by impressive bands and singers. God is not in the impressive buildings of concrete and glass. God is not in the impressive and charming speakers’ voice (preaching or praying). God is not in any man-made activities. My advice to all God seeking churches is that do not spend any more on things (or buildings). You would not find God there.
Where is God? God is in the stillness of your heart. He is just there, obliterating all. You can hear Him. You can sense Him in your spirit. His Spirit reveals Him to your spirit. You look with your spirit and you know His presence is real.
A church that worships God seeks God and concentrates all its efforts and resources to build the members’ inner life, and not external sensational pleasure and cheap superficial high generated by special effects and popular culture. More likely than not, those attracted by such entertainments and sensual pleasure and come to church for them are not souls that are saved. What is the point of starving the real children of God and fattening the vipers and serpents?
Be warned: churches that are bent on gaining the whole world are in danger of losing their own souls. (Jesus warned of this danger in Matthew 16:26)
Someone may ask, “Is there no alternative? Can one not keep both as priorities, God and money, soul and world?” The answer has already been given by Jesus. Read your Bible with honesty. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, my friend.
Here is a clue, in 1 John 1:15, the Apostle John (inspired by the Holy Spirit) thus warned Christians, “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (Strong words, but true.) I would be careful if I were a worship leader leading songs about how much we love God. Safer to be honest than lying before God.
AAA Jack
June 2, 2009