A letter to every believer...
The most sickening sight I ever saw in my life were those two passenger planes penetrating through both towers of the world trade center and then watching them fall and snuff out thousands of lives in one second! I immediately thought of Revelation 18:17-19 and "That Great City", yet this was certainly not the same city (v.20) that we are told to rejoice over in that chapter.
And so, because of the September 11th mass murders that occured in N.Y., Washington and PA., I feel it's necessary to write and exhort Christians and remind my brothers and sisters that we are all "vulnerable" to the enemy of our bodies as well as our souls and our way of life. Yet we must not allow ourselves to slip away and get caught up by "fearing" this attack on the U.S. the way the rest of the country does. We can be mad at the attackers, yes, shocked for now, yes, but we must not let this rule us with blind rage or with cowardly fear and trembling either, allowing it to make us afraid of our own shadow.
Many in the world are at a loss and trembling in their boots for fear! Luke 21:26. Of course! How can they not tremble? What hope do they have? They have no personal saving knowledge of God in Christ Jesus thus are unable to trust in the Lord for Him to be their strength and peace! We, on the other hand, have "substance" (Hebrews 11:1), something we can sink our teeth into.
No matter what "we" think otherwise..no matter the wisdom, the excuses or the intelligence behind such fearful thinking, FEARING for our lives and acting accordingly needs to be seen for what it is: "As Standing Opposed To God's Word". "IF" you are a Christian then you should be sleeping soundly; knowing that you're in His hands, and be at peace and rest.
Matt 6:
also Matt 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
The message? Either God is Sovereign or He is not! Jesus is saying: "TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!" STOP trying to prolong it or preserve it! Lay it down for My sake! Put it in God's hands!
How hard it is for anyone to listen to Him and trust Him when that one is so in tune with the fears of their fleshly needs and life, so worried about being "deprived" of their creature comforts if they don't take the bull by the horns and fend for themselves.
There is no difference in the rich man who could not bear to part with his money and follow Jesus, as there is in the man who gathers up all he needs to place around him in order to protect and sustain his life of ease and comfort just in case of more terrorists attacks.
Let me ask you this: "IF" the rich man's money was "worthless" and he KNEW it, wouldn't he give it all away in a heartbeat and follow
Jesus???!!! You bet your sweet bippy he would!! Likewise, concerning Spiritual things (because, according to Paul all the rest is "Dung"!). Terrorists show us that all the money in the world is no match for faith!
We are clearly told that we are to "FIRST" seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Notice, there is NO SECOND THING to seek: "Give no thought for tomorrow"! "IF" AND ONLY IF we seek the FIRST, then ALL these things that the Lord knows we have need of will be added unto us, exactly as He says. And He cannot lie!
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is...righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Be found fed with these - be found wearing these - be found rich with these - be found ready with these - and all else (the unimportant things we call, "The necessities of this life") will be added unto you.
At all costs, "Seek ye first to enter the kingdom of God (if not Whole then as a Cripple!!!) and do the right thing (give all that you were trusting in away) and follow Him!
Matt 19:
"Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee"
Remember what Jesus said to them???...
Matt 19:
Perfect Love casts out all fear! Fear cannot conquer ones having the life-changing revelation knowledge of God!
That is why we, in Jesus, have found peace with God, and that too is why I call my website: "UPON THIS ROCK!"
Brethren, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free, and be not afraid of any sudden fear nor calamity when it cometh; for he who trusteth to the Lord, mercy shall compass him about, and he who is faithful to God and Christ shall hear it said at the last, "Well done, good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of the Lord." (Spurgeon)
In His Service,
Biff
Remember, this is not our world. We're just passing through this place. This is not our home. There is another we seek, one that we already found and know exists through faith: Our revealed and promised Land with our revealed and Promised King!
Remember, we cannot serve both fear and God...:
24 "No man can serve two masters": for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 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?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Sounds to me like the guy who built himself a better barn in the Bible, or the Laodecian who believed they were in need of nothing.
"No thanks God, I'm fine! I'm handling it all down here...FOR YOU, of course!"
"IF" we are just as attached to Worldly Things as Food, Clothing, Shelter, money: THE CARES OF THIS LIFE, so much so that we cannot bear to part with them, then how does that make us any different than the rich young ruler and the rest of the world??? It doesn't.
Do you NOT see these as coming from the hand of the Lord??? If so, why worry??? Why bite off your fingernails worrying about where the next batch of terror is coming from? Instead, SEEK YE FIRST"!! He takes care of all the rest, even the necessary but unimportant things as food and clothing! As Jesus says: "LIFE IS "MUCH MORE" THAN FOOD AND CLOTHING"...
This attack by terrorists has revealed many a heart! It basically shows whether a man is at peace or not!
The Lord will always give us more than enough Grace to meet our every need, both physically and spiritually, by seeking first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness...
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee;
28 ...Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
The Faith that is Founded "Upon This Spiritual Rock" is one in which no amount of terrorism can even find or get at, let alone take away or destroy!
Let us all be found to be fearless Christians, worthy of Him!
