WE ARE ALREADY FORTIFIED FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD  #342  .

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…Yesterday I was able to set up intercessory prayer sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in our new community of Southshore Falls in Apollo Beach, FL. I felt strongly drawn to do this, so I checked with the clubhouse and got an affirmative nod. We will start on the first Tuesday in August, and will meet from 6:45-7:15 am on a beautiful gazebo that jets out over the bay. We will pray for our country, our state, our community, our leaders, against the insidious Carona virus, for teachers, doctors, and for anyone else in need of prayer. What a great way to experience the sun rise in God’s beautiful creation. And, as you might expect, that initial vision is already expanding to other ways Pam and I can be of service to our community.  Who knows what He has in store for the Presgraves?

As I’m sure you have already surmised, based on my past three writings, that I am quite concerned about entering into this prophesized era, labeled by Jesus Himself as the Great Tribulation. (Notice that I said “concerned” and not “fearful.”) I am not fearful because I know who I am in Christ and the power that comes from that identity, but I am quite concerned for those who do not know that Truth, or for those who might be weak in their faith. And again, I’m not saying this in a judgmental way, but in a concerned way. Jesus described this time as “a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen, or will ever see again.” Matthew 24, 21)

Already there are false prophets in our midst, offering counterfeit messages that titillate our desire to be on the “easy road” to salvation. “After all, God is a loving God, a merciful God, a forgiving God, so if you’re a good person, you go to church, you volunteer, or perhaps you even teach Sunday school, surely He will bring you home in the end.  After all, His Word says He wants us to be happy…right?” No doubt that sounds good, and no doubt it’s appealing, but that was also true of satan’s message to Eve? (“you’ll be just like God, knowing everything He knows. (Genesis 3:5) The inference…you won’t need God; you can be your own god. We must never forget this pillar of our faith: Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good; He came to give life to dead people.

If we could have received salvation through our works (the Old Covenant), there would have been no reason for Jesus’ sacrifice. But Man proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that from Creation until the coming of Christ 2020 years ago, Man could not save himself. What I referenced in the previous paragraph was the period of time that I will refer to as “a time of tribulation” (trouble, turbulence). Let’s face it, ever since Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, His followers have experienced tribulation. I know I mentioned this in previous blogs, but Jesus was very up-front about this.  He said, “The world will hate you because you belong to Me.” (John 15:13), and He also talked about His followers being victims of persecution. Therefore, here is the Truth we MUST stand on: “In this world you will have trouble (tribulation), BUT, fear not because I have overcome the world!”  This is WHY that message is so important. If He has overcome the world (and He did when He walked out of the tomb), so have WE overcome the world! It is part of our inheritance for being in Christ. Our challenge is to stand on that truth, and to live that truth.

So, you might be thinking, “What does this have to do with the Great Tribulation?” and I would answer, “Everything”…as pointed out in 2 Peter 1:3: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine nature gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a Godly life.” Jesus warned us, His present -day disciples, about the intensity of evil during this great tribulation. And just as He directed the disciples of His day to “watch and listen”, it will be even more challenging for us today because of satan’s unrelenting attacks, specifically against believers, through false prophets. Their sole purpose will be to confuse, or entice believers to move from the “old, out dated gospel”, and to accept their “new, inspired revelations.” STOP! “Watch and Listen!”  “Those who endure (stand firm) until the end will be saved!” (Matthew 24:13) These two truths can help us endure to the end: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will last forever! (Matthew 24:35) And, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” Hebrews 13:8)

Those truths are God’s promise to all Christ-followers. And because He IS Truth, He cannot lie.  Our calling is to endure; our prize at the end of the Great Tribulation will be salvation! That doesn’t sound so hard, does it? Well, not only will it be challenging, but it can also lead to the demise of those not absolutely ensconced in the Truth of God’s Word. To endure will take absolute confidence in God’s love, mercy and faithfulness. (And now to smack you in the face a bit harder…this period precedes the wrath of God!  But the good news about that bad news is…we, who endure to the end as Christ-followers, will not be here for that event.)

Now I want to re-emphasize the extraordinary gift God gave to all of His children that allows us to tap into the supernatural realm. That gift is the indwelling Holy Spirit. But for even more emphasis, I want to let Jesus explain the Spirit and the Spirit’s purpose in His own words: “I will ask the Father and He will give to you another Counselor who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads to all truth. The world at large cannot receive Him because it isn’t looking for Him and wouldn’t recognize Him.  But you do, because He lives with you now (meaning, “It’s ME) and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans. When the Father sends the Counselor as My representative, and by Counselor, I mean the Holy Spirit, He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I Myself have told you.” (John 14:6-18, 26)

Please read that whole quote from Jesus again, and then take a minute and let it soak in. That is the supernatural power that we can tap into that empowers us to rise to new heights, and to accomplish things we could never have done through our own strength. That gift, the Holy Spirit – the essence of Jesus Christ Himself – was given to us by God so we can be victorious in our battles against the world, our flesh, and satan.  When we use this gift, it brings honor and glory to Him!  

And that, my Friends, is precisely how we are going to endure to the end, regardless of the horrors we will face, or the lies and deceptions satan will speak through the false prophets. When we call on the Holy Spirit to give us His wisdom, His insight, His strength, courage, perseverance, patience…whatever it is we need to endure through this horrific time, His promise to us is, “I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Thank you, God, that in spite of what lies ahead, YOU are still our shield and our protector. As Neil Anderson said in “Victory Over the Darkness”, our battle with the dark domain is NOT a power struggle, but a truth struggle. Standing on the Truth of His Word, and rebuking satan – in other words, being clothed in the Armor of God – is our only hope for enduring to the end. You must not forget that the Holy Spirit is your gift, your weapon, so call on Him to lead you into all truth with the right words, courage, perseverance and the confident assurance that He WILL respond to your cry.

Feel free to respond to this message, and please share with other social media friends.

May God Bless You abundantly,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)