Are You Ready For This?

Up to this point, my blog posts have been pretty light-hearted. (Well, not counting the last one, of course:). I believe our Heavenly Father does not want our minds to be bogged down with worry, fear, and doubt, which is all a form of unbelief. In fact, Hebrews 3:12-19 severely warns God's people against unbelief.



According to Ecclesiastes, though, there IS a time for sorrow. There IS a time for war.

To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. - Ecc 3:1, 4, and 8 KJV
Remember what I posted at the beginning of the year:

Lately, what is impressed within me is that it is going to be “the best of times and the worst of times”. By this I believe the Holy Spirit is saying that we will see God move mightily in what will be tremulous times in the world. In the midst of great trouble we will witness the greatest harvest of souls for the Lord Jesus Christ that any human has ever seen along with signs, miracles, and wonders. [1/1/11 His Grace Is Enough]
Are you ready for this?

“How can I be ready?” you ask.

This requires a two-part answer, for as believers in Christ we are physical and spiritual beings.

Spiritually, we must prepare ourselves by spending time simply being quiet before the Lord of Heaven—seeking His face. I cannot emphasize this enough (to you AND to myself)! This includes searching the scriptures.

There in the inner chamber, I have asked Him this question myself—“Is there anything You need to reveal to me regarding preparation for what is ahead?”

This is what I believe He replied: “No. I will speak to you as you seek Me each day. Just as the children of Israel sought Me for manna each day in the desert, so shall you seek Me.”

As I have shared here in this blog, I have seen miracles in my own life. I also have been honored to minister to people in the miraculous. Perhaps the Lord would have me tell more about that in a future post.

Although I have never seen manna appear, I believe God has done this for His people. My point is that we are coming into a season of miracles! In the midst of this dark time, our God will sweep the earth with His glory and power. Those who trust in Him will daily receive resources and supplies from unexpected sources—even manifesting miraculously.

If this is true, should we physically prepare for a catastrophic event? I believe God has called individuals and ministries to be ready to serve in some capacity.

It is wisdom to have some food and water stored for an emergency, but I do not believe it is possible to be fully prepared in the physical realm for this type of thing. Just as Israel in their dire need had to trust in their Heavenly Father to care for them in the wilderness, we will be in a position where we must rely on Him.
And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror [awe-inspiring spectacle or deed]. Jer 32:21 KJV

Disaster is what it is going to take for many to come to Christ! It is also what will cause some to doubt who they are in Christ Jesus, but don't be counted among them.

When a crisis strikes, don’t fear—only believe! Believe He is willing and able to do miracles in the very dust and smoke of devastation as you walk out in authority. As in Acts Chapter 2, let us proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to speak life where there is death, healing where there is wounding, and hope where there is despair!

I am persuaded that nothing will separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39)~

Dispatched

“Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!” my grandson called out to me for the umpteenth time.

I had been watching this just-turned-five rambunctious boy all day so that his father could finish doing laundry, packing, and emailing in preparation for moving. I was beginning to get annoyed with his insistence on having my constant attention, but I knew this day and this season in my life was coming to an abrupt close.

After living with Mimi and Pop for over a year and a half, ‘my boys’ were leaving. Tomorrow.

No more “I love you all the days!”
No more running hugs.
No more smelling the great outdoors in his hair as I hold him close.
No more kisses.

Not for a long time anyway. And it is tearing me up.

But the Lord is my salvation. He has let me cry on His shoulder for weeks now as I share my torn heart with Him. He has listened to my continuous prayers for my children and grandchildren.

And just the other day, He spoke something into my spirit that greatly comforted me~“I have dispatched all that is necessary to fulfill the plans I have for you and your family.”

I am not always certain whether I have heard God’s voice or if it is my own thinking. In this case, however, I believe I heard His voice, because ‘dispatched’ is not a word I would use on an everyday basis. It is a word that is used for official business and includes expediency.

How encouraged I am to know the Most High HEARS the prayerful cry AND DISPATCHES the answer as He sees fit.

I Want to Tell You What Happened Today...

Yesterday I was surprised to receive a lengthy email from a brother in Christ I hardly ever hear from. (I am refraining from giving too many details regarding people’s identities in this true story for reasons that will soon be evident. Identities and corrected typos are the only changes made.) The email's subject line read: I Want to Tell You What Happened Today...

I wanted to take my wife, Tai-Yu, to an ESL [English as a Second Language] class, close to our home. It's been a few weeks that I found out that our local church offered free ESL classes. Today I decided to take Tai-Yu to ESL class, which was at a local coffee shop near where we live.

When we arrived at the coffee shop, we met two other women who were there—one was the teacher and the other woman was a first-timer like Tai-Yu. I soon found out that these women were believers in Christ.

The woman who was there for [the] first time, whose name was Sonya, was from Iran. Sonya was highly educated, as well as many members in her family. Sonya, decided to tell her story, about how she met Jesus Christ, while living in Iran. I have to tell you, I heard this was happening in Iran *, but not from anyone from Iran.

As you might know or not know, anyone that is a Christian in Iran gets persecuted for their belief, usually jail. The name of Jesus is not allowed to be mentioned in Iran for fear of being arrested and imprisoned. Sonya told us that she came to know the Lord nine years ago, secretly. She kept this to herself for some time until she moved to [the] United States, approximately 2-3 years ago.

I was fascinated to find out that Sonya came to know the Lord with visions of Jesus in her dreams. She told us the dreams. Years later, a Christian woman in [the] United States pointed out to Sonya that the dreams were actual events that took place in the Bible. Sonya also told us that her youngest son became deaf through an accident that happened about 5 years ago, and that everyone told her that he would never be able to speak again. In another dream, Sonya was told to take her son to Dubai and that her son would be able to speak. The miracle happened and her son began to speak, not only in his native language but two other languages including English. I found this out for the first time today, that many of the believers in Jesus in Iran were Jewish people.

I am not good at writing any stories, so for me to tell this is pretty awesome. I forgot to tell you, the woman I am writing about, her husband became a Christ follower upon finding out that his son was able to speak. Sonya visited Iran a little while back, and discovered that the secret home where she would meet other Christ followers has grown to over 1,000 people, much since only a few people from the time that Sonya began her journey.

I have changed Sonya's name as I did not get permission to relay this story.

*PS. my friend in Christ, J.T., from Texas, first told me of the many things that are happening in the Middle East through dreams and visions of Jesus Christ, almost a year ago. I truly believe now...

I too had heard similar stories via the internet, but this is the closest-to-home account I have shared with others. May you be as thrilled and encouraged as I am!