Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Oh Friends, these are certainly difficult times in which we’re living. Times when the negative emotions of fear, selfishness, greed, violence, and warmongering are on the rise. But here’s some good advice from Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which dealt with the conditions of slavery in 19th century America. She advises: ‘When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a moment longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.’ Now that’s a truth to which many of us can attest! It’s like saying the darkest hour is always the one before the dawn. But like many other truthful sayings, it’s still easier said than done. And it’s made even more difficult by the state of flux, of transition, of our ever-changing society. There doesn’t seem to be anything left with strong purpose and meaning, nothing substantial that we can cling to, that will help carry us through these fateful times. For all the institutions we thought were so strong and infallible, like the home, church, school, courts, have been severely tested and found woefully wanting. However my people, fear not, there’s still hope, sure hope to be found only in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, manifested through His Holy Word, the Bible. But is it enough, you ask? Oh yes, for certain sure it is! Why wouldn’t it be since it’s the Word of our Creator, Protector and Provider? Didn’t you hear what He commanded that great visionary Isaiah? ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ Wow! What a powerful promise mih breddren! Who else is brave enough, or has the power to make such a proclamation eh? Nobody but our God! Why? Because He’s the Creator of the universe, the great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Before anything is, He was, and He shall be after everything else withers and dies. Don’t worry Friends, the nations that don’t consider the Lord will surely feel His wrath. ‘For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompense for the controversy of Zion.’ (Isa.34:8) The ungodly nations will pay a steep price for their transgressions. ‘For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come…And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.’ (Isa.63:4,6) Ah Friends, what a sad day that will be. Let’s hope none of us will be caught up in it. And there’s no reason why we should since we have a most wonderful and valuable option, namely; the Lord’s people will be protected. Those who are obedient to Him will be saved from the great Tribulation. Those of us who worship and glorify Him are guaranteed a future of hope, one of joy and salvation, for our God will come and save us. Bruh David said it: ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE Him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps.145:18-20) And my people those aren’t empty promises, for the Lord did eventually set all those things in motion through His great master plan; having His Holy, unblemished, innocent Son, Jesus die as a sacrifice, to abolish sin, and to provide salvation and eternal life. What could be better than that eh? Nothing really! But Friends, the onus is still on us. We have to believe that Jesus died to save our sinful souls, and accept the free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life, then lead a life worthy of Him. It’s no Sunday stroll in the park, but our God is a GOOD God, who LOVES us unconditionally. He proved that by sacrificing His only Son for us. That alone should give us a whole new perspective on life now; less fear, apprehension and concern, and much more hope and faith in the future. Christians should be the most joyful and least worried people on this earth, having already been showered with the LOVE and blessings of Almighty God and still have His faithful promises of a wonderful future to look forward to. But unfortunately too many of us are still timid and fearful, or merely unconcerned and blasé, that’s why the workers of iniquity are currently holding sway. Oh Friends, it all depends on us; a minority of Christians in a predominantly ungodly world, to try and teach, convince and convert the ungodly majority by our example, that there’s a better way: His name is Jesus. If we don’t do that, and soon too, then Lucifer’s henchmen will continue their evil reign, and Christ’s kingdom will be relegated to the also ran position. However Friends, that’s definitely an untenable situation, not an option at all, which means we’ve got to get rid of our fear, timidity, laziness, whatever is holding us back, and instead fight the good fight for Jesus. That’s our job, our duty. And right now it doesn’t seem we’re doing such a great job because the enemy is in the ascendance and gaining more every day. So if we really LOVE Jesus, let’s stop being afraid, passive and playing it safe. Let’s let our voices be heard and our strength felt. Let’s go forth like the brave soldiers we’re supposed to be and fight for our Lord and Saviour, our God. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Isa.33:22) My people, please, let’s give Him good reason to do so. Much LOVE!…fear may affect our hearts…but it can’t break our spirits… for those are grounded in the Almighty…
Oh Friends, these are certainly difficult times in which we’re living. Times when the negative emotions of fear, selfishness, greed, violence, and warmongering are on the rise. But here’s some good advice from Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which dealt with the conditions of slavery in 19th century America. She advises: ‘When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a moment longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.’ Now that’s a truth to which many of us can attest! It’s like saying the darkest hour is always the one before the dawn. But like many other truthful sayings, it’s still easier said than done. And it’s made even more difficult by the state of flux, of transition, of our ever-changing society. There doesn’t seem to be anything left with strong purpose and meaning, nothing substantial that we can cling to, that will help carry us through these fateful times. For all the institutions we thought were so strong and infallible, like the home, church, school, courts, have been severely tested and found woefully wanting. However my people, fear not, there’s still hope, sure hope to be found only in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, manifested through His Holy Word, the Bible. But is it enough, you ask? Oh yes, for certain sure it is! Why wouldn’t it be since it’s the Word of our Creator, Protector and Provider? Didn’t you hear what He commanded that great visionary Isaiah? ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ Wow! What a powerful promise mih breddren! Who else is brave enough, or has the power to make such a proclamation eh? Nobody but our God! Why? Because He’s the Creator of the universe, the great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Before anything is, He was, and He shall be after everything else withers and dies. Don’t worry Friends, the nations that don’t consider the Lord will surely feel His wrath. ‘For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompense for the controversy of Zion.’ (Isa.34:8) The ungodly nations will pay a steep price for their transgressions. ‘For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come…And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.’ (Isa.63:4,6) Ah Friends, what a sad day that will be. Let’s hope none of us will be caught up in it. And there’s no reason why we should since we have a most wonderful and valuable option, namely; the Lord’s people will be protected. Those who are obedient to Him will be saved from the great Tribulation. Those of us who worship and glorify Him are guaranteed a future of hope, one of joy and salvation, for our God will come and save us. Bruh David said it: ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE Him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps.145:18-20) And my people those aren’t empty promises, for the Lord did eventually set all those things in motion through His great master plan; having His Holy, unblemished, innocent Son, Jesus die as a sacrifice, to abolish sin, and to provide salvation and eternal life. What could be better than that eh? Nothing really! But Friends, the onus is still on us. We have to believe that Jesus died to save our sinful souls, and accept the free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life, then lead a life worthy of Him. It’s no Sunday stroll in the park, but our God is a GOOD God, who LOVES us unconditionally. He proved that by sacrificing His only Son for us. That alone should give us a whole new perspective on life now; less fear, apprehension and concern, and much more hope and faith in the future. Christians should be the most joyful and least worried people on this earth, having already been showered with the LOVE and blessings of Almighty God and still have His faithful promises of a wonderful future to look forward to. But unfortunately too many of us are still timid and fearful, or merely unconcerned and blasé, that’s why the workers of iniquity are currently holding sway. Oh Friends, it all depends on us; a minority of Christians in a predominantly ungodly world, to try and teach, convince and convert the ungodly majority by our example, that there’s a better way: His name is Jesus. If we don’t do that, and soon too, then Lucifer’s henchmen will continue their evil reign, and Christ’s kingdom will be relegated to the also ran position. However Friends, that’s definitely an untenable situation, not an option at all, which means we’ve got to get rid of our fear, timidity, laziness, whatever is holding us back, and instead fight the good fight for Jesus. That’s our job, our duty. And right now it doesn’t seem we’re doing such a great job because the enemy is in the ascendance and gaining more every day. So if we really LOVE Jesus, let’s stop being afraid, passive and playing it safe. Let’s let our voices be heard and our strength felt. Let’s go forth like the brave soldiers we’re supposed to be and fight for our Lord and Saviour, our God. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Isa.33:22) My people, please, let’s give Him good reason to do so. Much LOVE!…fear may affect our hearts…but it can’t break our spirits… for those are grounded in the Almighty…
SCRIP-BITS 