Am I the only one who feels like we’re all on a sinking ship?
I’m often reminded of that tragedy of the ocean liner, Titanic, out on it’s maiden voyage so long ago. New and beautiful, commanding the wind and the waves, the Titanic was built to be a ship that was virtually “unsinkable.”
Well, at least that’s what everyone believed. And for a while, all was well. Everything was just as it had been advertised.
But they were wrong. And the ill-fated ship, ripped open by an unfortunate iceberg, soon sank to the bottom of the ocean, like some marvelous, majestic rock.
There certainly isn’t time to speak of the many misrepresentations of that grand ocean liner. Or the mistakes and miscalculations that were made along its way. The tragedy forever remains remarkably real and startling to our present day world, even many years later.
Because deep down, we feel it.
Our world rocks and rolls, veering in wrong directions toward those “icebergs” now poised to tear us, and take us down. Our decks pitch to one side, and then to the other, revealing the weight of the ensuing flood just beneath us.
The panic begins to hit. The realization takes hold that anyone left on board is no longer safe.
The last of the lifeboats fills up, as a cloud of death hangs over every haunted soul. Hearts fall. The eyes avert, no longer able to look into the telling faces of doom, as each lingering life prepares to face its final breath.
Now, bear with me. I don’t mean to sound overly dramatic, or make this a big downer. I know this is supposed to be an encouraging blog.
But after writing many posts in which I have done my best to encourage you, I feel like I need to do my very best to warn you.
Are things actually getting this bad? Are we honestly headed for some doomsday scenario?
The signs in today’s world are all around us, as God’s word beckons in Revelation:
“He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit (of God) says to the churches.”
Try to hang on with me here, as we look at the situation of our world, and its last days deceptions, through the eyes of the Bible.
The Deception of “Business as Usual”
It is the last days, and our world is in a hurry. Busy, busy, busy—as if some unwritten rule has set our pace. Buy. Sell. Get everything you can, while you can.
Opportunities seem to abound. Educations of every kind. Grasp it. Grab it. Steal it if you have to. Whatever it takes, or whatever law it breaks. Fame and fortune seems to lure us, to become some rousing success. To be seen, and heard—and set high upon the pedestals of life.
After all, they tell us: If you can dream it, you can be it.
Many now are vigorously encouraged to live their dreams. But most of us are just daydreamers. We float along, hoping for opportunities, and imagine that we are in control of our own destiny. We dream, and scheme, and hope for “the best,” having no idea what really is the “best” for us.
Dreamers—in their wishful and willful thinking—are often subject to delusions. They can be bent on selfish desires, but are unwilling to see or accept God’s truth.
When this happens, the thought life becomes full of deceptions, misinformation and misinterpretations. Eventually, the issue at heart is no longer what is right or wrong before Almighty God, but is reduced to personal desires.
Anyone who is a Christian should be warned by the wisdom of this verse:
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Thinking involves decision, which leads to actions. Wrong thinking equals wrong actions. Sin puts us in a disoriented frame of mind.
Sin creates a dream world. It keeps us searching for the stars, while disregarding the world beneath our feet. The simple beauty of the sunset is pushed away, replaced by the stars in our eyes. Our prize is the illusion, and the elusive dreams—always just out of reach.
We teach children to hope for what they can not have, while denying them the truth about the life and the death which awaits them. The dreams and the dreamers are everywhere.
We may justify it. Aren’t our dreams important? Don’t they give us a vision of opportunity in our lives? Shouldn’t we let our hearts take us where we want to go?
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
The heart is deceitful. Who can know it? In other words, I can’t fully trust my heart, conscience or inner feelings. They could take me way off course.
If we understand that the God who created each of us creates each one of us with a distinct purpose in mind, we begin to understand how dangerous it may be to simply be led into life by our inner impulses. Sadly, in our world today, multitudes are being encouraged to do this very thing.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Look around. What do you see in your world? If you are honest with yourself, you will recognize the “last days” this verse is warning us about. We are immersed within this culture of the “last days.” It is all around us.
Our world seems to be on some sort of treadmill of working, doing and being. People are lovers of ourselves.
But what about you? If the Lord is your Savior, then you must also understand that He is to be your Leader in all that you do, and hope to do. Jesus said,
“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39)
Apparently, God takes this very seriously. Anyone who holds his life for himself—who is self-purposed, and attempts to find his own way and his own destiny—is destined to fail. Not necessarily some immediate failure. But a life formed and formulated in such a self-destined manner will ultimately be lost.
It appears that “losing”—exchanging my own deceptive dreams for God’s dreams for my life—is the key. The reward is that I am able to find my true purpose for life itself—my true, God-given destiny—my very reason for being created in the first place.
The busy treadmills of life may look attractive, and may seem to take us places or make us feel needed or important. But in reality, treadmills are great for just two things: exercise, and hamsters. They happily go around and around, and never arrive at any real destination.
The elusive dreams of our world were never meant to determine the God-given destinies of mankind. But they can determine something else.
What seems like business as usual, could soon become the business of death.
“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)
As in Noah’s day, we find ourselves in an uncertain world, filled and plagued with violence. Amazingly, we watch as business as usual continues—right up until the flood of disaster comes, to take it all away.
The Deception of Doubting God
As we become more encumbered by our end times circumstances, we notice that society has become increasingly unstable, untrusting and untrustworthy. The lies are everywhere.
We should not be misled into believing that our world is basically a good place, or even a safe place. If backed far enough into a corner (for example, a drug dependency) many would cheat, steal or even kill to get what they want or need.
The days we live in are evil, and grow increasingly dark. We need to realistically and rationally understand these days we live within.
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
These are serious times, with serious consequences. As Christians, utilizing and exercising that wisdom we have through the Holy Spirit is essential.
We should take care not to allow our lives to be crowded into circumstances that cause us to constantly fret over the needs of living. For example, too much debt. If we are “strapped” by our daily circumstances, we can fall into a position of doubt—as if the God who has called us to be His is unable to take care of us.
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:25, 31-33)
These are the amazing words of Jesus. And obviously, He believed that people just like you and me could overcome the obstacles of every day living, without the worries, the strivings and the clamoring that an unbelieving world must do to survive. He explains that our Heavenly Father always knows just what we need, at all times.
Now, at times, I might still be prone to worry. I may be tempted to doubt that God is always going to remember little old me down here. But then Jesus gives me the key to dispel my confusion and my doubts:
If you seek the Kingdom of God first, and seek His righteousness, then all these things that God knows you have need of will be added (provided) to your life.
Once again, I see the patterns of God’s purposes—not in seeking my own dreams for my life, but to seek God’s plans for me. Not to put my own desires first, but to seek what God desires first, and to seek His truth for my life. Then He gladly and faithfully provides for all of my needs.
Our failing world knows nothing about this precious way that God watches over and provides for His people. But we must know it. Otherwise, we will be tempted to doubt. Fully trusting in our Lord’s provision for us keeps us looking to Him, as our Provider of all good things—and not to a broken world system that doesn’t care about what we really need.
The Deception of Self-Rule
Maybe you know some Christian friend who has given his or her life to the Lord, but still lives a lifestyle of self-rule. In other words, this person is torn. They can’t—or won’t—decide who is in charge of their life. They know who their Savior is, but they have never really come to grips with serving Him.
And because they spend too much time listening to and taking cues from an unbelieving world—even though they are a Christian—they still have loads of trouble, as they go back and forth between God’s leadership and their own self interests.
Of course, people who are torn in this way are never going to be happy. They may eventually give up on Christianity altogether, and replace it with some other form of self-rule.
Sadly, like so many other half-hearted Christians, they have never understood that the Kingdom of God actually has a King. And King Jesus must reign, both now and forever. Both on the earth, and in every individual heart.
Many in America treat God’s saving grace too casually.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)
A double minded man? What does that mean? Well, the short explanation is that he simply can’t make up his mind.
Imagine being a runner in a marathon race. You start out enthusiastically, but after about two minutes into the race, you decide you really aren’t cut out for all of this exertion—and you suddenly decide that you’d rather be a dentist. You would probably stop running, right? Or at least, you would run the race half-heartedly.
People who start something, and then change their mind, never really get anywhere.
The Kingdom of God is no different. It is real. It is alive. It is an active and everlasting kingdom. Any double-minded attempts—to be ruled by a holy and righteous God, but still retain our own self-controlled identities—are foolish and counterproductive. Honestly, it puts us in a dangerous place.
Look at Matthew 6:33 again. The undecided person doesn’t seek the Kingdom of God, and isn’t really interested in knowing the righteous ways of God. He wants to follow God, but constantly stops to follow his own interests and desires. Is the Lord going to provide for someone like this?
The above verse in James is abundantly clear concerning this individual: “For let not this man think he shall receive anything of the Lord.” Wow—no job, no house, no food, no job, no marriage, no nothing—from the Lord. That person may be able to eek out a life and provide for himself, but will not have the joy of knowing that he received something from the Lord.
Remember, our Heavenly Father loves to bless us with all things—all the things we need, and even some things we want—when we seek His purposes first. The rebellious, double-minded individual has made himself no different than the unbelieving world around him—prone to doubt, and grappling for things all on his own. God has no reason to be involved.
In short, self-rule is self-defeating. Remember: the times we are in are evil. Let the ruler of Heaven and earth lead your life, and live.
The Deception of Being Absorbed into the Collective
I need to get totally real with you. Hopefully, you are still reading.
Our failing world is close to collapse. This is the Titanic disaster. But this time, it’s on an immeasurable, global scale.
What’s coming isn’t going to be pretty.
The globalists’ agenda to rule our world is being put in place. And we don’t want to be around for that. They mean business, and they fully plan to take over. The ultimate plan is to rule every man’s life—and eventually, after the Antichrist comes into power—even over every soul.
Of course, God knows all about their plans and schemes. He has always known.
This is why He so clearly instructed His church how to escape the evil of the end times tribulation. In His word, God tells us that the world as we know it will essentially be destroyed, along with all the evil-doers who oppose God and His Kingdom.
But He needs to get us out of here first.
The rapture—the calling and catching away of the Church of Jesus Christ—is imminent. And that day is almost upon us.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
As Jesus explained to His disciples, no man knows the day or the hour when He will return to sweep His Church away. But as Christians, if we are careful to prayerfully watch, we will be able to discern the times and season of His return.
And as someone who has been watching, I’ve got to tell you: it’s evident that the days we live in right now are indeed within the season of Christ’s soon return for His church.
Why is watching for Him so important? Because He wants you to ready for when He comes.
Not encumbered with the selfish desires and dreams of a failing world. And definitely not absorbed into the clueless collective of minds who don’t even know Him.
Christ Jesus died for each individual, and His plan is to return and take each redeemed one home, to be with Him.
But the plan for our fallen world is to collaborate together as one, to be a collective of wills, and relinquish their lives to one central world leader. This is the new world order that must come upon the earth for a few short years.
Believe me, God is going to straighten out all of that disorder, and replace it with Christ’s perfect and peaceful rule, and His order upon the earth.
His earth.
Christian friend, guard your salvation in Christ Jesus, with your very life. Your destiny—your eternity—depends on it.
“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6)
We are the children of the light, and of the day. We watch, and we are sober. Therefore, the event of the rapture will not find us unaware. We will hear the trumpet sound, and we will know, and be swept away—stolen from the world, and taken quickly out from under the impending storm to follow.
But until then, we must not give up, or give in.
The time to live and to serve our God, very seriously, is right now.
Take advantage of the time you have been given. Shine into your dark world the light and love of your Christ. It is vitally important to place our energies where they are most effective, using our minds and our bodies for the kingdom of God’s use, and never just spent on ourselves.
Our world is headstrong. It is forceful. It is frightening and deceitful. How will we overcome it? How can we withstand these last days we live in?
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:6-11)
Yes. And forever. Amen.
It won’t be long, friend. See you in the air.
https://releasedtofly.com/the-way-a-complete-reset-for-your-life/