Be on your guard! Don't fall from your secure position!

Warning! Warning! Danger ahead.  Often in Scripture, we will find passages that warn us about various things: Deception, sin, evil, to stay away from something, or to cling to Someone!  Every time you see a warning in Scripture ts best to figure out what it is warning you about and make sure you aren't doing it!

2 Peter 3 is one of my favorite Bible passages. Peter starts out talking about scoffers coming in the last days making fun of people who are watching for the Lord's return. Little did I know when I first read that verse long ago, that most of the scoffers would be Christians. But I digress. 

Peter goes on to talk about how patient God is with humanity. 

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 8-9 

I love God's patience! If it were me, I would have wiped out humanity long ago for all the evil that is occurring. But our Lord truly is a God of pure love and patience!  

Yet, there will be a day that patience will end. And it will begin when the Tribulation begins. The Day of the Lord in Scripture refers to the entire Tribulation, and it begins with the rapture when Jesus returns like a thief to remove His church-bride from this place. 

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 10

Now we come to the main point of this post. 

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. v. 11-12
 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. v 14

Peter tells us that BECAUSE we are living in the last days and Jesus could return at any moment, how should we live our lives? 

We should live holy and Godly lives. 
We should be found (When He returns) Spotless, Blameless and at Peace WITH HIM. 

• Holy: Dedicated to the service of God, sacred, pure, consecrated. Committed to living your life for Jesus
• Blameless: Guiltless, without fault  (achieved by continual repentance of your sins before God and relying on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross)
• Spotless: Undefiled (Staying away from purposeful sins, worldly lusts, and things of this world)
• At Peace with God:  In a close relationship with Jesus as you trust in Him for your life and salvation. 

To me, I'm wondering why Peter is so adamant about warning us to live a certain way OR to be found living a certain way when Jesus returns.  Isn't it enough that I believe in Jesus, received Him into my heart, and trust in Him for my salvation? By grace I am saved! 

Yet here Peter is warning us to be holy, blameless, spotless and at peace with God. Here's the final verse. 

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17-18

Hmm.   Fall from my secure position?  But my pastor told me that once I got saved, I will always be saved. Eternal security, right? Yet, here Peter is telling us not to be carried away by wickedness, by deception, by lawless people or we could FALL from that "Secure" position. 

In other words, we have some responsibility in our walk with Jesus. Particularly if we want to be taken in the rapture when He comes. 

Whether you believe me or not, the rapture is going to happen in our lifetime. Unless you get hit by a bus or die in the next few years, Jesus is coming in THIS generation for His Bride. In fact, you don't have to believe me, believe Jesus's own words. 

 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Matthew 24: 32-34

The Fig tree (Israel) put on leaves in 1948. We are 71 years into the generation who will see Jesus's return.  Average Worldwide Global Life Expectancy in 2016 was 72 years. 

So my question to you is. How then should you live?

MaryLu's Musings - The shooting of innocents

You and your family may be out for a day at the beach or at a park or the fair or simply shopping for school supplies and BAM, some nutjob mows you down with his Rifle. When I was a kid growing up, we never feared for our lives when we went outside our home. We never feared for ours lives at school or work. I mean, why would someone want to kill people he didn't even know?  Yet, this is happening more and more in our society, but what is the cause? 

• Liberals say it's the gun's fault
• Others say it's the result of violent video games and movies.
• Some say it's the result of no strong fathers in the home

Solutions?

• Hence, liberals try to take our guns away, making void and obsolete our 2nd amendment rights
• Laws are proposed to make violent video games only for adults
• Nothing is proposed to save the family unit. No one has any answers. (Except God)

First of all, are guns to blame? What about knives? Hammers, poison? There's a thousand ways to kill someone. True, guns can kill more people in a shorter amount of time, but would taking them away solve the issue. Chicago has the highest gun violence in the nation but they also have the strictest gun laws. The truth is, if someone wants to go on a killing spree, they will find a way to get a gun.

So what would taking away everyone's gun actually do?  

• It would not stop these killings as statistics prove
• It would disable Americans from defending themselves or perhaps stopping a killing in progress. (One man at the Gilroy Festival shooting said that if he'd had his gun, which he has a permit for, he could have stopped that man from murdering so many people)
• It would give the government more power. You see our forefathers wanted the citizens to be armed, not because they love violence, but just in case the government became too powerful and too corrupt. Then citizens could rise up and replace it. But if they have no means to defend themselves and no means to battle a powerful government, they are defenseless.  A powerful government with a powerful army could overrun them and do whatever they wanted. It's happened over and over in the history of the world.  So, why do you think the far left wishes to disarm the population? Even though statistics prove that doing so does not stop violence. 

While I agree that violence propagated in movies and video games can desensitize people to such things, I still don't think that's the main cause of these acts. Here's the reasons I believe we are witnessing these mass shootings more and more:

• Taking God out of our schools, our families, our government, and our society
• The Laodicean dead church which many young people are leaving and have already left
• Because of the first two, the breakdown of the family unit in which fathers are either absent or weak and ineffective. Kids who grow up without fathers are insecure and are at more risk for crime, violence and drugs
• Without God, society has no moral compass, no right and wrong, and with no hope of eternity, there is no hope for anything in this world, especially if you aren't wealthy or good looking or particularly talented
• Satan knows his time is short. Hence he is going about causing divisions and propagating hatred and strife wherever he can.
• An influx of demons and demonic activity which is occurring in these last days due to the first two above. 

Let's face it, it makes no sense for a normal person to pick up a gun and go shoot a bunch of people he or she doesn't know. All of these shooters have one obvious thing in common. They are filled with hate. Although that hate may be directed toward a certain group of people, it is all consuming, even to the point of wanting to die to kill those they hate. Insanity! Right?  But I disagree. I don't think these people are insane. I think they are lost, without God, without hope, without love or meaning to their lives, and because of that, they have allowed themselves to be overrun with demons. What do demons want to do most of all? The same thing their master wants. To KILL as many humans as he can!

No amount of gun laws or entertainment restrictions are going to stop this.

There is only one solution, and His name is Jesus!  
In just a few short years, The King of Kings is going to come down from Heaven, plant His feet on the Mount of Olives, defeat all His enemies and set up a Kingdom on Earth from Jerusalem. It will be a kingdom of righteousness, truth, love, and joy like none this planet has ever seen. Honestly, I can't wait!  In this Kingdom, there will be no mass shootings, no wars, no famines or disease, no child molestation, no 25 genders. Families will stay together and people will live in peace and great happiness.

Until that glorious time, I believe things will grow worse and worse. In fact, the Scriptures tell us they will. Why? Because people will continue to turn away from God and follow their own desires, and Satan will have his way and his rule for 7 years.  But in the end, he loses and God wins!  So, hang in there. We are very close to going home. In the meantime, the best thing we can do to prevent this kind of violence is spread the good news of the Gospel and God's love to as many people as possible. Tell them that this life is not all there is, that there is a God who loves them so much, that their lives have meaning, that they are extremely valuable and that through Jesus, they can spend eternity in joy and peace and happiness!  So, be about your Father's business. We are His ambassadors! 

How to do warfare to save your lost loved one!

Like most of you, I have close family members who are non-believers, and I have other family who say they are believers in Jesus, but who aren't following the Lord. I've told them the Gospel, I've begged them to believe, I've warned them, etc, but to no avail.  Some of you may remember that when my husband and I married we were both unbelievers. I came to Christ first, but he was rather stubborn. I prayed for him for nearly 7 years before he joined the Kingdom, and in the end it had nothing to do with my witnessing or pleading, and everything to do with my husband's heart being willing to know the truth and the Holy Spirit answering him.  But how did that come about? How did his heart change? What made him call out to God?  Spiritual warfare!  Ultimately it was the Holy Spirit who drew my husband and God who saved him, but I believe all my prayers and warfare for him helped a great deal.

I have a son who claims to be an atheist and I've been praying for him for 25 years. I only tell you that because I know some of you out there feel like you've been praying for your loved ones for forever!  God's timing is perfect. Prayers of the saints are powerful

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. james 5:16 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:3-5

What are strongholds?  The dictionary says they are fortresses, but another definition says that a stronghold can be a viewpoint, a belief that a person clings to. In other words, atheism, agnosticism, buddism, new-age, humanism etc can be strongholds.  How do we demolish them? With the weapons God gives us which possess divine power! 

So, what are our weapons?  How can we as humans, as mere flesh and blood battle things we cannot see? 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of ]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13

First of all, we put on the armor of God. Armor is to protect ourselves, but not to harm our enemy. However if we are going into battle, we need to protect ourselves first and foremost. If you do not, you will be overcome. 

In Ephesians 6, we learn the pieces of our armor that we must put on. Actually, I would say we need to have these on at all times

• Belt of Truth - God's Word is the only truth in this world. Know it!
• Breastplate of Righteousness  - You must be truly saved and following Jesus
• Shield of Faith - you must believe God answers prayers and believe His Word is true
• Feet -Gospel of Peace. Know the Gospel, know the Word of God and everywhere you plant your feet, that peace, love, and joy goes with you.
• Helmet of Salvation - the hope of your salvation. This hope coupled with your faith will shield your mind from the lies of the enemy

What are our weapons?  I believe there are 4 main weapons given to us and they are all interconnected 

• Prayer - persistent, faith-filled, Bible-inspired prayer is powerful !  (Also prayer in tongues is powerful)  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16
• Use of Jesus's name. I've personally seen demons flee at His name!
• Word of God, which is our sword. You must know the Word, memorize it, and recite it outloud to the enemy.
• Fasting

Fasting is not popular among today's all-about-my-comfort Christians, but I can tell you it is the rocket booster that gets the rocket off the pad! 


So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”  Mark 9:29

What I'd like to do here is lay out the battle plan I use to war against the spiritual entities that are keeping my loved ones from the truth. (some of these I took from a sermon from Perry Stone)

• Pray in Faith
• Pray when you feel burdened (Sometimes the Holy Spirit will put that person on your mind and you feel a burden for them. At that time, drop to your knees and pray)
• Pray as a warrior - Remember you are in a battle for the soul of your loved one. Act like it. Be disciplined. Get angry!
• Pray that the Lord send a Godly person to witness to your loved one
• Pray that God will awaken their spirit  Ephesians 5:14, Romans 13:11, 1 corin 15:34
• Pray for any emotional or spiritual ties they have with a non-believer who is leading them down the wrong path be broken in the name of Jesus!  1 Sam 18:1
• Put them under a hedge of warring angels Ezekiel 22:30 Ezekiel 13:5
• Change the way you talk about them to others. Don't be negative or critical, but talk about your hope and faith for them!
• Love them unconditionally, yet don't approve of their sin
• Pray against any spirit that may be vexing them. Resist and rebuke it in Jesus's name. Some you may know, some you don't. Examples Addition, porn, drugs, insecurity, rejection, fear
• Break the spirit of manipulation on them from those around them
• Pray against the following spirits: Seducing Spirit, Spirit of bondage and Spirit of infirmity and weakness. 
• Pray that their own will will be broken and changed to follow the will of God
• Pray the Word of God over them

Use the Word of God.

If your loved one is a family member, I encourage you to seek out Scriptures that refer to children or descendants being saved or households and quote them often. 

• Claim Household salvation Acts 16:31
• Claim Household infilling of the Holy Spirit Acts 10:44-45
• Read or recite Psalm 91 over your loved ones every day! I do this. I have it memorized

Here's a few Scriptures that may help.

Isaiah 54:13
Ephesians 1:16-19 - a great prayer for your loved one
Isaiah 58:12
Collosians 1:9-12 - Another great prayer  
Isaiah 44:3-4
Isaiah 49:24-25 
Psalm 112:1-3

God is a Father. He is the Creator of families. He loves families and He wants to save households. That theme runs throughout Scripture. 

Only Noah was righteous, but God saved his entire family
Only Rahab saved the spies but God saved her entire family when Jericho fell
Only Lot was good and related to Abraham, but God saved his family when Sodom was destroyed. 

So, don't give up. I encourage you to formulate your own battle plan and stick to it every day. It will seem like you aren't accomplishing anything most days, but don't give up!  One day.... completely out of the blue... your loved one will get saved! I guarantee it! Why? Because I know my God and He is Love!

MaryLu's Musings: War drums are thrumming!

Since I no longer have time to do the full Mad Friday post, I thought I'd take a single topic, perhaps an  End-Times topic or something that struck me during the week and post my thoughts and some related links as time permits. Not every week, but as often as I can. Today, it's Wars and Rumors of Wars.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Matthew 24:6

Jesus warned us that not only wars would increase but rumors of wars. I find the rumor part interesting because basically that's what we are hearing today. The 20th century saw two huge World Wars and tons of smaller wars across the globe. I found this website that lists the wars of the 20th-21st centuries and how many died.  Amazing!

Honestly today our world is a power keg, just waiting for someone to light a match. The Ezekiel 38 nations are surrounding Israel, and Russia, Iran, and China are threatening the US and others. The nutjob in North Korea can't help but fire missiles everywhere and the India/Pakistan border is a hot zone of hostility. 

What causes war? The right question might be WHO benefits?  Now this is purely speculation on my part, but it is based on several articles I have read from reputable sources. I believe that most of our recent wars have been caused by a group of Global Elites and Bankers. They have the money and wherewithal to cause false flag events and stir up the people into a frenzy of hatred toward each other. Why would they do this? For two reasons. The main one is, they make a ton of money off of war. And the second, they often use war to distract the population from what they are really doing, which is gaining power and stealing your rights.

Am I trying to cause fear? NO. Quite the opposite. Yes more wars are coming. In fact, I believe we are on the cusp of World War 3.  Yet, we who believe in Jesus and follow Him need not fear at all. For one thing, before it gets really bad, our Prince is coming to rescue us. Secondly, even if we die, all we do is step out of this old suit of clothing and enter Heaven. It's a win-win situation!

My intention is only to show you how close we are. I want to get your hopes up, keep you looking up, keep you in prayer and in the Bible. Because prophecy is coming true before our eyes!

Russia warns that the UK is a nuclear target they can hit within minutes 
Iran unveils 3 new special missiles and warns the US of the "mother of all wars" if US attacks 
Americans are ignoring the global war on the horizon
China vows a response if US deploys missiles in the region. 
Israeli tanks can be operated by AI
Three major events happening right now that could lead to global war
North Korea launches more missiles
US officials rush to stop Turkish invasion of northern Syria
Chinese economic retaliation is an 11 on a scale of 1-10 says Wall Street
China is extremely angry and they consider the US to be enemy number 1
Iran seizes tanker carrying smuggled fuel in Gulf
China warns retaliation after Trump's latest tariffs

The Narrow Path is starting to get pretty tight!

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14

Growing up in a "Christian" nation has been a true blessing. When I was a kid, nearly everyone on our block went to church on Sunday. Shops and restaurants were closed, and families went home after church to have a Sunday meal and hang out with each other. If you labeled yourself anything but a Christian, you got the weirdest looks and were often shunned.

Then the 60s hit, a time of free love, drugs, hippies, and rock and roll.  It was during this decade that God and prayer were removed from schools. I was only a kid during that time, but by the time I entered my teens, the culture had begun to change. However, even through the 70s and 80s, it was still frowned upon for couples to live together without being married and drugs were still illegal and people who did them were considered fools and losers for the most part.  Drag queens only appeared in shady night clubs and you could only look at porn if you were over age and bought one of those magazines covered in brown paper at the local 7-11. Abortion was illegal until the early 70s.  We still trusted our news and news casters to tell us the truth. Christianity was still the national religion and most people still attended church.

In the 80s, the culture continued to change. More and more couples began living together. Alcohol and drugs became more prevalent and church attendance declined. Mind you, I was NOT a Christian during this time. I divorced my first husband and spent part of my weekends going to clubs, drinking and dancing. I was offered drugs, but thank God I wasn't foolish enough to take them. I dated many different men in my quest for true love. Little did I know I was already loved beyond measure by my Creator!.  Even though I wasn't a Christian at this time, I didn't frown upon those who were. Rather I looked up to them as moral and good people. A few people even tried to witness to me, and I listened to them politely.

Then the 90s hit. You may be surprised to know I had no idea that homosexuality existed until well into my 20s. When I first discovered it, I was shocked. And I hadn't led a sheltered life at all. So then we had the gays come out of their closets. At first society rejected them. But now, not only are they accepted, but we celebrate them, we put them all over our TV screens, in our books and magazines, and movies. Being "gay" is cool now.  In the 90s Christianity continued its decline and people began to look on Christians as being archaic and old-fashioned.  In God's great mercy, He saved me in the 90s when I had hit rock bottom in my quest for love and meaning. But that's another story!

In the past few decades, we've seen
Legalization of pot
Homosexuals in children's shows
Explicit sexual situations on TV and Commercials
Rise of Transgenders
Drag Queens reading stories to Kindergartners.
Witchcraft and Satanism on the rise
The Great Apostasy of the church
More couples living together than are married
Acceptable to have sex with as many partners outside of marriage as you want
Pornography easily accessible, even for kids
Suicides on the rise among young people
Over  1.5 Billion babies aborted since Roe vs Wade
Cable news is nothing but propaganda
School shootings and random shootings of innocents in public
Attacks on Police Officers
Pedophilia on the rise and even in Social services such as Foster Care
Christians mocked, belittled, and persecuted (bakeries and salons closed for stance on LBGTQ)
Evangelicals listed as a terrorist group by the government
Less than 20% of Americans attend church

 
I could go on. Actually, I didn't mean to get into all of that. This post was meant to simply say that if you are on the Narrow Path that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:13  then you are feeling squeezed right now. If you are sticking by the truth of God's Word, if you are out there trying to speak the truth in love to people, to help them, to wake them up, to point them to Jesus, then you are feeling the pain. 


Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. John 15:20

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Tim 3:12

If you are not feeling squeezed right now. If you are not being persecuted at all, then I might gently suggest you are not getting out there and speaking the truth of God's Word and His love to people. Believe me, I hate confrontation and avoid it as much as possible, but the Lord has told us not to hide our light under a bushel, not to bury our talent in the ground and do nothing with the truth He has given to us!

In this past year I have been called a hater, a racist, and an devil worshiper. I have lost friends and readers who have called me names and spewed hatred on me.... when in all honesty, my goal, my desire is to lead people to Jesus, to help people who may be compromising with the world and the things of the world, to find their way back to the narrow path.  It may be narrow, but it leads to Heaven, to Jesus and eternal life!  It is worth it!  So, it's difficult to be treated so badly for only trying to help others. But I'm in good company!

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Matt 5:10

Still, being called names and ostracized for my beliefs is nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters suffer in most other countries. Many are in prison, many are in labor camps, many at this moment are being tortured and killed and hunted down like animals, simply because they believe Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to heaven. 

The path is growing narrower. The squeeze is on. People who follow Jesus, His Holy Spirit, and agree with everything in His Word, are going to be the outcasts of society. We are going to be hated and persecuted. Are you prepared?  Oddly, my worst enemies lately have been people who call themselves Christians. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. If you take a stand for God's Word, you may find that most "Christians" will even come against you. These are trying times.

In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.  John 16:2-4

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matt 7:15

Stand strong, saints. Don't compromise with the world. Stay the course. Stay on the narrow path even though it is getting tight. I guarantee it, it will be worth it in the end.

MaryLu's Musings -We are being deceived!

Our government officials will tell you that they are in Washington to "serve" the people. They will convince you that they care about the dwindling middle class and the poor inner cities.  Famous Hollywood actors will do the same.. tell you they care about the average man and that we should vote for who they endorse because for some reason being an actor with a lot of money makes them wiser than we are.

I've noticed for quite some time that there are really only two classes of people in the world. The Elites and the rest of us, the wealthy people with power and influence and the common man.  There is a philosophy that is as old as the ancient Greeks that says that there are certain people who have been endowed with a keener intellect, sharper intelligence, and more wisdom than others. This elite group should be placed in power over the common masses because common man does not have the intellect or wisdom to make his own decisions. This is what these people believe.   They have one standard for themselves and another for the rest of us.

That's why someone like Nancy Pelosi can talk about tearing down our countries borders while she lives in a walled-in million dollar mansion in San Francisco.

That's why Al Gore can travel all over the world talking about Global warming and the need for reduced carbon emissions in his private jet.

I could go on.

They are hypocrites.  These people meet in secret societies and secret parties where only the rich and influential are invited. They live lavish lives and spend thousands on parties and lifestyles most of us can not even imagine. 

Recently one of these recent parties was discovered. I encourage you to read this article
Elites Flock to Google Summit in 114 Private Jets and Mega Yachts to talk climate change


Have a great Weekend!

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 

2 Corinthians 4:8-11