dickbraswell

Word for Today:  June 6

Has God ever lost a battle?

Has He ever had to take flight and run because the enemy was too big?  Has He ever conceded or fallen into confusion and despair?  Has He ever been afraid?

Remember Who He is and who you are.  You are wall-to-wall God.  “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”  Don’t be impatient.  You do not have to rush God.

It seems that the very nature of our present world is one of hurry.  Rush.  Speed.  And this contributes to our impatience… our unwillingness to wait.  God’s time and our time may not be the same.

The production time of the Word is programmed in and it is as dependable as God is dependable.  What is programmed will come to pass.  What He promises He will perform.  What He says He will do.  He will confirm His Word “In due season.”   Waiting will develop your patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:4  

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do in our Faith Walk.  It is not hard to ask in prayer.  It is not too hard to believe….  But it is next to impossible to wait, with patience, until God confirms His Word and produces in us the “wanting nothing” condition.

God has said we will “reap in due season IF we faint not…”  Gal 6:9

So be patient

Word for Today:  June 6

“There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.”  Oswald Chambers

What are those things that plague us?  What is it within the Human Experience that brings pain and grief?  What are the things that are burdens and problems to us?  It is precisely here (where we hurt) that God focuses His Grace.  His Provision.  His Relief.  We have seen just how these provisions are met in the Covenant He made with us and that is guaranteed by the Blood of Jesus Christ

What is hurting you?  Where are you broken and wounded and sad?  What has come into your life that produced fear and dread and pain?  What are those elements in the Human Experience that make your life miserable?  Do you understand that every misery and pain in life is caused by the devil?  By the powers of darkness?  By those spirits in high places that purpose to kill, steal and destroy?

If we can come to know God’s Purpose for us, we can better get our lives in agreement with it.  Once we come into a living agreement with the Purpose God has for us, we can experience the Abundant Life Jesus promises in John 10:10.

Everybody wants the abundant life, but they may be in agreement with the Purpose God has for them.

And until this takes place, true fulfillment in life is impossible.

And real Peace evades us

Word for Today:  June 5

“I don’t know what to do!”

Have you ever been in a place where you honestly did not know what to do?

The first temptation is the temptation to try to fix it ourselves.  Plans.  Procedures.  Steps to take.  People to see.  We want to “fix things.”  We want to “fix” people.  Instead of throwing our cares and worries and tribulations on Jesus, we think we can fix it ourselves.  We try.  And it does not work.  We try something else, and it does not work either.  We reason.  We consider the problem.  We analyze it, examine it, look at it from every angle and try again.  Another failure.

Finally, we remember to pray.  And seek God.  And ask God.  And turn to God and confess that without His intervention, all our human and natural efforts will not produce any answers.

O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 2Chron 20: 12

The King’s army was outnumbered (2Chron 20). They were defenseless against such overwhelming odds.  They had no escape route…. Nowhere to run.  Nowhere to hide.  Nowhere to seek refuge.  They were in line for defeat.  Humiliation.  And death.  They had exhausted all their resources.  Nothing they had and nothing they could do would be able to deliver them from total disaster and defeat.  The king finally confessed: “I don’t know what to do.  But my eyes are on You, Lord….”

There are some attempts at victory that you need to “give up.”  Because they are your plans, your ideas, your efforts and they are done in your strength.  I remember praying one time:  “Lord, I don’t know what to do.  I’ve tried everything I know to try.  I don’t have any resources left.  I give up.”   In my fit of self-pity and false humility, God responded to my heart:  “Good!  Now that you are through, I can do something.”

Giving up on your efforts does not mean giving in to the devil.  It simply means changing your “trying” into “trusting” and then leaving it all to God.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  1Pe 5:7

Word for Today:  June 4

Intel

In natural warfare, any nation engaged in conflict is advantaged when they have knowledge of and about their enemy.  This is the reason our country has the CIA.  This is an agency established for the express purpose of gathering intelligence regarding all aspects of our enemies.  Who they are.  What they do.  Where they live.  How they operate.  What to expect.  When they move.  How to counteract their attack strategies and negate the destructive purposes they design against our country.  Intelligence is vital to our defenses and ultimately to the safety and security of our nation.

This same thing is true regarding the conflict every believer has with the devil.  he is our enemy.  he wants us dead.  Defeated.  Overcome.  Sick.  Sad.  Broke.  Depressed.   Every believer needs Intelligence as to how our enemy works.  We need to know his strategies.  Once we know this, we can plan our offense and our defense.  Notice:

• Satanic attacks are the norm for the believer (not the exception)
• Conflicts come when we declare our Faith in Jesus
• Satan defies the God in us… and the Word in us
• The devil messes with our mind…. Leads us into wrong thinking. (Remember… the carnal mind is enmity against God. Rom 8:7)
• The ONLY way the devil can harm any believer is by making them believe his lies. He is the Deceiver.  The Liar.

If you KNOW the Truth (the opposite of the Lie) the Truth will make you Free.  (John 8)

The Truth is the believers INTEL

Word for Today:  June 3

We win.

The Allied victory at Normandy in 1944 is much like the victory we win in our spiritual conflicts.  The enemy was entrenched and holding a secure beachhead. The Germans knew that if they lost here, they would lose the war.  It was do or die.  Win or lose.  Succeed or fail.  It was D-Day.

I believe that some reading this are ready to attack and take the beachheads satan is holding in their lives.   It’s D-Day for the devil.  he thinks he has you pinned down and whipped.  he has relished the day that he will win the ultimate victory in your life.  he is poised for the final push and the final attack.  It is D-Day now… and it is time to celebrate your Victory over the Devil.   

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  1Jo 3:8  

D-Day was a crucial turning point in the liberation of France and the entire world from the crushing brutality of the Third Reich.  It forever changed history.  Many of our troops paid the supreme sacrifice… others were wounded and scared and suffered from the vicious intensity of the battle.  Blood flowed on the sandy beaches and down the lofty cliffs of Normandy.  But we won.  And the world was changed.

We still win.  We are winners and not losers.  We win because we Know God and because we refuse to quit.  We live in freedom and security because of the victory on D-Day.  We have the wonderful privileges of liberty… the rights guaranteed to every American citizen because of the blood.  The blood of countless fallen warriors that purchased our freedom.

The Blood of the Sinless Son of God purchased our victory over the powers of darkness.    And we have the wonderful privilege of experiencing liberty and freedom from sin every day in every way over every demon and devil because God has made every Believer a winner.  Jesus captured and destroyed the devil at Calvary.

The battle has been won

Word for Today:  June 2

Eternal means forever

Eternal means without end.  Timeless.  It is very hard (practically impossible) for anyone to comprehend the meaning of Eternity.  We are creatures captured and held hostage in a span of time.  We live in submission to time.  We are controlled by time.  Time can be our enemy.

We are destined to die because we are subject to time.   Seconds.  Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. Years. Decades. Centuries. Millennia.   All these become defining terms for the passing of time.

Everything in the human experience is related to Time.  Everything we know about has a Beginning and is rushing madly toward an End.  Such is Life.  Stuff gets old because of time.  We get old because of time.  We are so immersed in “time consciousness” that it is all but impossible for us to become “eternal conscious.”

I am challenging you now to think Eternal.  Think Bigger and larger and greater than you have every thought.  Let your Imagination soar to new heights as you consider the Vastness… the Expanse… the Unsearchable and Indefinable scope and size of Creation.

Every Mortal Being, saved or lost, is Eternal.  Not the body, but the mind (soul) and the Spirit.  Where the body is “mortal,” the mind (soul) and the spirit of man is “immortal.”  They will last forever.

If one is Born Again, that person will Live forever.  If one is not Born Again and dies in his sin, that person will Die forever.

Life is a dress rehearsal for Eternity

Word for Today:  June 1

God’s Greatest Enemy is not the devil.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  1 John 3:8

The devil is already whipped.  He is not God’s greatest enemy.  God’s greatest enemy is the carnal (unrenewed human mind).  Only here, (in your mind), is what God has done and can do for you limited or brought to pass… manifested.

When you think wrong you believe wrong.  Your “believing” will never exceed the bounds of your “thinking.”  In other words, if you can’t “think it” you can’t “believe it.”  And, when you can’t “believe it” you won’t have it.

When our minds are renewed with the Word we are “transformed” or “transfigured” from the worldly, natural manner of thinking to the spiritual, supernatural manner of thinking.

And as you “think” in your heart, you are.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.   Rom 8:7

The carnal mind is enmity against God…

It is God’s biggest enemy

Word for Today:  May 31

What are those things that plague us?  What is it within the Human Experience that brings pain and grief?  What are the things that are burdens and problems to us?  It is precisely here (where we hurt) that God focuses His Grace.  His Provision.  His Relief.  We have seen just how these provisions are met in the Covenant He made with us and that is guaranteed by the Blood of Jesus Christ

What is hurting you?  Where are you broken and wounded and sad?  What has come into your life that produced fear and dread and pain?  What are those elements in the Human Experience that make your life miserable?  Do you understand that every misery and pain in life is caused by the devil?  By the powers of darkness?  By those spirits in high places that purpose to kill, steal and destroy?

If we can come to know God’s Purpose for us, we can get our lives in agreement with it.  Once we come into a living agreement with the Purpose God has for us, we can experience the Abundant Life Jesus promises in John 10:10.

Everybody wants the abundant life, but that will only happen when we are in agreement with the Purpose God.

And until this takes place, true fulfillment in life is impossible.

Word for Today:  May 29

Somebody is going through the fire today.

Fires are common to all Believers.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice….  I Peter 4:12

There are several things you can do when you find yourself in the fire.

• You can run away
• You can try to put out the fire
• You can surrender and get burned up
• You can beg for help or
• You can rejoice, trust God and stand

We need to understand some things about fires.

• They are not caused by God
• They are not used by God to “teach” us something
• They are not punishment for something you did or did not do
• They are not terminal or fatal for the believer
• They are not unquenchable

Above all taking the shield of FAITH wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked…  Eph.  4:16

Who through faith… quenched the violence of fire… Heb. 11:33-34

It’s neat to know that God will not only deliver us from the fire but will walk with us through it…  (Isa 43:2)

And where He is I will be OK

What is about to happen?

If the veil separating the physical and the spiritual could be lifted for a moment, what a sight we would behold!  Everywhere we looked, we would see preparations taking place.  God is busily PREPARING.  The ANGELS are busily PREPARING.  Hell is busy PREPARING.   During the six days of creation God PREPARED.  And now, at the CLOSE of this AGE, He is diligently preparing for the END.

What’s next?  The Bible is very plain about the events that will take place at the close of this age.  If we know the Word we will know what is going to happen.  If we know the Will of God we will know what to expect and when to expect it.  God never intended for His children to be ignorant of His End-Time plan.  God never intended for His children to be caught by surprise.  God wants you to know what is going to happen and approximately when it is going to happen.  Now, if you do not care, you will not know.  If you are lazy and carnally minded, you will not know.  If you are caught up in the world system, you will not know.  If you are bound up in religious bondage and dead doctrine, you will not know.  However, you can know and you will know if you open your heart to the Holy Spirit right now!!

First, we are living in the End-Time.  There is no doubt about this.  Look at what the Bible says concerning events that will be taking place at the time Jesus comes again.   From what I can determine from the Bible, there is not ONE PROPHECY left to be fulfilled before Jesus Comes Again.  His appearance is IMMINENT.  His Return is At Hand!!

The NEXT EVENT will be Jesus coming in the clouds to take His Church out of the earth. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpadzo) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord…”  1 Thes 4: 16-17.

Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…  Mat 24:40-42

This is referred to as the Rapture of the Church.  It is a “catching away” or a “snatching away” of all true Believers from the earth at a time when it is least expected by the world.  It will be world-wide and it will be sudden.   It will be blessed for those are saved and it will be tragic for those who are lost.  According to the Bible, the Saved who have died and gone to be with Jesus will be reunited with their bodies and they shall “rise first” and then those of us who are alive and remain shall be taken up together with them in the air.

Suddenly, all the TRUE Christians will be gone from the earth.

Suddenly, all Christian influence will be removed from the earth.

Suddenly, all the church buildings and facilities of True Believers, will be vacant and empty.

Godly men and Godly women and Godly young people will ALL BE GONE.  Mothers will leave unbelieving children.  Daddies will leave unbelieving children.  Brothers will leave unbelieving brothers.  Sisters will leave unbelieving sisters.  Families will be divided.  Friends will be separated.  Only those who are READY will be taken.  Those who are living in disobedience, in rebellion, in open sin… those who are lukewarm and lazy will be left.  Those whose lamps are not trimmed and whose lights are not burning will be left.  The True Christians will all be gone.  No one left on earth but the lost, the backslidden, the unbelieving, the skeptic… “the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly, the sinner, the unholy, the profane, murderers, manslayers, whoremongers, those that defile themselves with mankind, kidnappers, liars and perjurers…” (1 Tim 1:9-10)

All goodness will be gone.  All love will be gone.  All kindness will be gone.  All compassion will be gone.  All mercy will be gone.  The TRUE CHURCH will be GONE and the world will be left to the powers of hell and destruction.  There will be no restraining force against evil and wickedness.  Antichrist will emerge and begin to rule and millions will be tortured, persecuted, abused, murdered.  There will be another holocaust… but this one will be world-wide and it will cause blood to run in every street in every city in every nation on the earth.  Demon forces will be loosed on earth and suffering will be supernatural.  These events are plainly detailed in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 6 through 18.

After the Rapture, there will be NO ESCAPE.

The suffering and torment that will be experienced by those who are left behind is indescribable.  Men will cry for the mountains to fall on them and for the earth to swallow them up… they will scream for death but death will not come.  “…and the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand?…”  Rev 6: 15-17.

This is called the Time of Tribulation.  And it will last for a period of 7 years.  The first 3 1/2 years will witness the rise of the antichrist.  The last 3 1/2 years will perfect his rule and reign.  The entire 7 years,  the antichrist will reign and the earth will be ruled by demon forces.  There will be a continual series of Judgments… 7 seal judgments, 7 vial judgments and 7 trumpet judgments…

Millions will die as this 7 year period of Tribulation ends with the Battle of all battles… the Battle of Armageddon.

“And another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”   (184 miles)  Rev 14:17-20.  See also Rev 19: 11-21.  While these events are taking place on earth during the 7 years of Tribulation, those of us who were Caught Up at the Rapture will be in heaven with Jesus.  We will be preparing for the Millennium.  We will be getting ready to return to earth with Jesus and to rule with Him for 1000 years.  There are two events that will take place in heaven while antichrist is ruling on earth.

First, we will go with Jesus to the Judgment Seat of Christ.  It is here that all Believers will be rewarded according to their faithfulness while they lived on earth.  We must each stand individually before Jesus and answer to Him in regards to our conduct on earth.

For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels and then He shall reward every man according to his works…  Mat 16:27

…for we shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God.  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God…  Rom 14: 10-12

For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad… 2 Cor 5:10.

And, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be… Rev  22: 12.

It is here that we will be rewarded and receive our crowns which will be laid at Jesus’ feet.  It may be a time of great rejoicing and it could be a time of great regret.  We will be judged and rewarded according to our works.  We are not saved by our works, but we will be rewarded according to our works.  The rewards we receive and the crowns we are given will be cast at the feet of Jesus as we honor Him and worship Him.  It will be all that we have to GIVE to Him.

Next, we will accompany Jesus and all the Saints of all the ages to the Marriage Feast or Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.  And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.  And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God…”  Rev 19: 7-9.

Now, the choice is YOURS TODAY.  Which will it be, Tribulation or Triumph?  Suffering or the Marriage Supper?  If you could miss the wrath of God that will be poured out without mixture… surely you would.  If you could instead be guaranteed a place at the Marriage Supper, I know you would accept.  I am sent by God to make you an offer.  I am His messenger (angel) to give you that invitation.  What will it be?  What will you do?  God extends to you a request for your presence… will you accept?

YES_____             NO_______