How Long Will You Wait?

"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron and said to him 'Come make us gods that shall go before us, for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'” Exodus 32:1 This passage brings to mind a similar passage from the New Testament: "...knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming...? '" 2 Peter 3:3-4 After Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt where they had been enslaved, God called him up to Mount Sinai. Moses stayed quite awhile on the mountain because God was giving him in-depth instructions concerning the covenant he was making with Israel. But ...the children of Israel waited a long time, a very long time, and then they got fed up with waiting. They waited some more, but no sign of Moses. Finally, they concluded that they had no idea what became of Moses and decided to forget about him and go about their lives their own way. They asked Aaron to make gods of gold for them which they would follow. Many believers have lived a very long time waiting for the Lord to come back. For many, it's been years. Especially when the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) arrives, the people have stretched their necks hoping to see some sign of his coming, but the date goes by and they're disappointed again. For many, myself included, this picture has been repeated over and over and over again, as we've waiting for the Lord to come back. How does scoffing begin, what causes it? The long wait. The long wait brings many to become scoffers. When the hope has been aroused to fever pitch and then nothing happens, many get tired of this and quit. Each time this disappointment happens, more and more fall away from the "blessed hope." It's easy to do. When I read the Bible, I try to put myself in the shoes of the persons in the story I'm reading. I try to get into what they must have been feeling. Today I stood with the people who were waiting for Moses who brought them out into the wilderness and then disappeared up a mountain. Now let's set the story right: These are people who had witnessed first hand the mighty deeds done to the people of Egypt under Moses when he turned the water into blood, brought an overwhelming storm of frogs and lice and flies, locusts and darkness to cover the land and the death of every firstborn of Egypt. These are the people who saw him part the Red Sea as the Egyptians followed hard after them as they escaped, and they saw the Sea part so they could walk across on DRY land, only to see the waters go back upon the Egyptians, drowning them all. In short, these are people who saw miracles, one after another after another. But the passage of time became a problem. They'd been sitting now in the desert for quite awhile waiting for Moses to return, but time went by and no Moses. Finally, they gave up on him and turned to follow their own lusts. An image of gold became the god they would follow. Not only that, but they even offered sacrifices and peace offerings to this image of gold. In other words, they continued doing religious things. They occupied themselves with following their lusts and justified themselves by doing religious things. vs 32:5-6 "And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.’ Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." What a picture of today. Back when I came to the Lord the subject of his return was being taught everywhere. There was a hype, an excited expectancy, a joyful watching. And it WAS joyful. What could be more joyful than the Bible's prophecy that the dead would be raised out of their graves and that we would be snatched up with them in the clouds to meet our Lord Jesus Christ in the air and be taken to heaven to be with him? (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Every Bible study, every Sunday sermon, was set in this joyful anticipation. But the Lord was gone too long. He had ascended up the mountain, he had ascended to heaven promising to return for us, and we waited, and waited and waited ...in vain. YEARS. Until today, hardly a church, hardly a Bible study, hardly anyone even mentions it anymore ...because too much time has gone by and the fever pitch has died down in great disappointment. There have been signs in the heavens so incredibly and accurately portraying the Rapture that the hope of believers was again awakened and the fever pitch renewed ...until the expected time came and went. And now many of those who believed have let go of that hope and have actually become scoffers. The disappointment in the face of something that seemed so sure ...was too much for many. He's been up in the mountain too long. Many believers have let go of the blessed hope and become the very scoffers the Bible warns about. The point is that all faith will be tested. Many fail. When Moses finally did come - what did he find? He found that the "believers" had turned away from him. They had turned their attention to their lusts and had built this gold image to put their trust in. Moses was so angry that he threw the tablets of the ten commandments and broke them in his wrath. vs 19-20: "So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it." Waiting can be the demise of many a person when that which is expected seems delayed. The willingness to wait is one of the most difficult things in one's walk with the Lord. Abraham waited many years before Isaac, the son of promise was born. During that time of waiting he got so discouraged that he actually thought to help God by bringing a son into the world through his wife's handmaid - and we are suffering the consequences of that to this day. God's ways are as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth (Isaiah 55:9) and to God, our willingness to let go of our human desire and wait as long as it takes - is one of the most valuable virtues in the Christian walk. It's hard. It can be VERY hard. But that's what separates the seasoned believer who has been tried and proved from the carnal believer who only wants what he can get from God. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming for us. We had hoped he would have been here by now, but in his wisdom he has seemed to delay his coming. Let us not lose hope and turn away from him to living for our lusts and going our own ways. Let not the wait turn us into scoffers. “For yet a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:37-38

Put All Supernatural Occurrences To Intense Scrutiny

"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you saying, ‘Let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams..." Deuteronomy 13:1-3 The chapter goes on to say that the penalty for false prophecy is death. How much clearer can God make the point that we are to RUN from false supernatural experiences or words or dreams? People run to and fro looking for a word from a so-called prophet - as long as their prophecy makes one feel good. False prophets usually give nice-sounding words that "tickle the ears." But in this passage the Lord is solemnly warning his people NOT to run after such. We are inherently drawn to the supernatural, but many people have little discernment to know if a supernatural thing is from God, or from the devil. I make it a practice not to listen to any prophet EVER, because most of what's out there is false. If God wants to speak to me through a true prophet, then HE brings about the circumstance, not me, and then he CONFIRMS the word given so that I will know without a doubt that the word is from Him. This has happened only a few times in my life, not many, and that's how it should be. One might say, "well he's not enticing us to go after other gods." So I ask, which kingdom do you suppose a false prophet gives a word from? There are only two sources of supernatural power, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Satan is well able to give a prophetic word and then make it come to pass. Satan is well able to give a word of false hope leading to deep disillusionment later. Satan is well able to speak through a medium or a channeler and speak to you things with details that no one could have known. HE DOES IT ALL THE TIME. Were you called by a nickname when you were five years old? Do you think Satan doesn't know that? Therefore if a medium mentions the nickname, that is NOT proof that the word he/she gives is from God. It is a SNARE to you, to deceive you, and to entice you to further delve into "New Age" practices and occult things - to bring judgment upon you. This is so forbidden by God that the judgment for frequenting mediums and any other "New Age" or occult venue is deadly. So sinful is this that the judgment on it goes down to the third or fourth generation of those who do such things. The judgment is often mental illness or premature death. When you see a family in which more than one member has a mental illness, or more than one member meets an untimely death, suspect occult involvement even to the third or fourth generation back. How can God make it any clearer, you shall NOT go there. "The Lord is long-suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but he by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." Numbers 14:18 King Saul, the first king of Israel, was desperate to know what the outcome would be in an upcoming war, so he visited a medium in a town called Endor. FOR THAT SIN, HE LOST HIS LIFE. "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and because he consulted a medium for guidance." 1 Chronicles 10:13 Not only did Saul die for this, but his sons also died. "So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day." 1 Samuel 31:6 Folks, STAY AWAY from anything "New Age." Scrutinize carefully any new practices being brought into the church, because Satan delights in bringing in false supernatural things especially to churches. Anything "emergent" is not of God. Labyrinths, meditation, candles, yoga, all this sort of thing is not of God and IS of Satan. And in any circumstance where something supernatural takes place, put it under intense scrutiny because most of what is out there is false. Does God interact in supernatural ways with his people? Of course he does. But he will always confirm his Word and will never leave you wondering if that was God or not. Do not feel guilty for intensely scrutinizing any supernatural occurrence, the stakes are too high and the warnings too dire. Hear Janet Ferriday's testimony. She saw spirits as a child.

Humility – The Truth About One's Self

"Let the righteous strike me, it shall be a kindness, and let him rebuke me, it shall be as excellent oil, let my head not refuse it." Psalm 141:5 Only a truly humble person could bring to God a prayer like this. He is so intent on doing right before the Lord that he actually prays that a righteous person be sent to him to point out where he is wrong, or where he may be unaware of hidden sin. We are a fallen people, a people whose first reaction to any accusation is hostility and anger, "how dare he say such a thing to me!" ...and then we bring to mind anything negative that we can say about that person in retaliation. Isn't it true? But the truly humble person is so concerned with being right with God and wanting to be told wherever he or she is missing it, that he is willing to receive a rebuke from a righteous person… "Faithful are the wounds of a friend..." Proverbs 27:6 And while this humble man prays to be shown any error in his way and is welcoming of a rebuke, yet for himself he prays for protection from his own words, that he might not hurt anyone else. "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3 So the humble man/woman knows only too well that the weakest part of himself is his tongue and realizing that, he asks for protection from his own mouth. "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell." James 3:6 Truly, truly, the tongue IS a world of iniquity. Indeed, how many evils are brought about in this world by misuse of the tongue? How many times have we crushed a person with our words? How many times have we afflicted our children with hateful words? How many lives have had doubt cast upon them because of our gossip? And many times we don't even realize that we're offending God in what we speak. How we deceive ourselves! It behooves us then as people truly wanting to be pleasing to God, that we ask to be shown any point on which we're missing it. This can only come through prayer, from humbling one's heart before God and asking to be shown any area of error or evil, especially when they are secret and covered over inside, for the Lord knows our failings, and every secret thing is plain to him. Let us therefore humble ourselves before him and pray to be protected from our own selves. "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults, keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression." Psalm 19:12-13