October 1 Psalms 126, 128, 129, 132, 147, 149 God With the Humble

Psalm 147 says, "The LORD sustains the humble."

We all want to be sustained, but who wants to be humble. We associate humility with weakness. Weakness is weakness. To be humble, a person has to be really strong. A humble person is strong in the LORD. He/she has to get their confidence and esteem and affirmation from God most of  all. A humble person has to be sure of his/her place in God's kingdom. A humble person is assured of God's protection and provision. A humble person knows God will exalt him/her in the final kingdom, so exaltation now can wait.

A humble person is strong and secure. Are you strong and secure enough to be humble?

September 30 Psalms 107, 116, 118, 125 Hope for the Ill

Psalm 116 is a good psalm to read when you are ill or if you fear a terminal illness. It can give great hope. But I encourage you to read this to a friend who is ill.

Many times, we go and visit a sick person or even someone who is dying. Many don't visit people like this because they don't know what to say. Alternatively, they go and babble on giving the person all kinds of "profound" wisdom.

Here is some simple advice. Go see your sick or dying friend or relative and simply hold their hand - listen - say little - ask if it is ok to read them Psalm 116 - ask if you could pray for them - ask them what you could pray for - sit and be still. Now that's an effective bedside visit. They will know that you love them and you may have given them some hope and comfort.

If they ask you, "Why is this happening to me," then tell them the truth - "I don't know."

September 29 Psalm 78 Testimonies are Important

Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.

Saints, it is our RESPONSIBILITY to tell the next generation all about the LORD. It is our PRIVILEGE to tell the next generation all about the LORD. They are depending on us to tell them about the truth of God found in His Word, but also how He has worked in our own lives. Our testimonies (especially our conversion testimony) are really not our property to keep in a safe deposit box hidden away somewhere.

Psalm 40:10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

Most people are afraid to speak in front of people. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to do the uncomfortable. We speak in front of the assembly (congregation) giving our testimonies because of the overflowing gratefulness to God in our hearts.

Psalm 35:18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.

Giving testimonies about God's greatness in our lives is one of our more important ways to say thank you - to praise His mighty deeds - to lift His name up among people.

Psalm 111:1 Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

God, forgive us all for giving you such weak worship. Forgive us for being more concerned with our comfort and our image and reputation, rather than making you famous among your people - and most of all, the next generation. Forgive us for asking what we MUST do, rather than asking for all we can do.

Today, 4 of our people will give their conversion testimonies before all of our congregation before they are baptized. 3 of them are afraid to speak in front of all people, yet they are doing it. One of them is a young boy. Praise God for giving this special form of worship before believers and before those who do not believe.

Psalm 107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.

September 28 Zechariah 7-8, Ezra 6 Who Are You Doing It For?

In Zechariah 7, it seems that the people had instituted national fasts. But God challenges them on their motives - "What it really for me that you fasted?" Apparently, they fasted because they wanted God's blessings - the fast was really for them.

They compounded their hypocrisy by not showing justice, mercy, and compassion to each other and by not protecting the weak of their society. In other words their religious formalities had nothing to do with the righteous living (worship) that God demanded.

Saints, we all need to check out our motives - are we seeking God and His glory or merely seeking our wealth and glory in our religious ritual and daily living? We all need to continually ask ourselves where we are. Would any of us be satisfied doing great deeds for the Kingdom while we are poor and struggling to make ends meet? Does having plenty, but accomplishing little for the Kingdom sound better?

September 27 Zechariah 1:7-6:15 Burning Sticks Snatched from the Fire

In Zechariah 3, we get a picture of Joshua - which can serve as a picture of our own salvation. Like him, we are sticks snatched from the burning fire. We were born with a sin nature (original sin) and are sinners by choice. because of our sin, we deserve to be thrown into unquenchable fire. But God has chosed to pull us from the fire. he has taken off our filthy clothes (representative of sin) and replaced them with His rich garments.

God pulled us from the fire and God gave us His rich garments - all a gift.

Take a moment and consider all that the LORD has done for you. Are you grateful? Does he know it? Does your life reflect your gratitude?

We have NO reason to boast in ourselves over our salvation. Let us worship Him with words and actions - a life given back to Him for His inexpressible grace.

September 26 Haggai 1-2 Put the LORD First

In Haggai 1, the people were neglecting their work on the Temple to attend to their own personal needs - home and crops. And so the Temple construction was put aside, while the people focused on themselves. However, the LORD punished their poor priorities by causing their work to be frustrated by drought.

Are you and I giving the LORD's work first priority in our lives? Do we not tithe to our local church because we can't "afford" to do so? Are we giving our own security and comfort priority?

Scripture is clear - we are to give first to the LORD, then to our own needs. This priority is based on our presupposition that it is God Who provides what we need. When we doubt His provision and call it wise stewardship, we deny His power and authority in our life.

Give to God generously and see what happens. God challenges us to test Him in this area.

September 25 Ezra 4:6-6:13 Even Pagan Kings Are Used for God's Good Purposes

God sends Haggai and Zechariah to rally the people to obey and rebuild the temple. Opposition once again rears its ugly head. However, God works through King Darius to not only allow the work to continue, but tells the opposition to fund the venture! The Bible actually contains a letter from a pagan emperor as part of our Holy Scriptures. We should not focus on the words of the king, but instead the superintendence of the Great King over all.

When God is in something, nothing can block it. He erases all opposition and brings blessing to ensure what He wants succeeds. If God truly calls you to do something, nothing can block it. Now, you may have obstacles to overcome as God intends you to trust Him and persevere, but you will succeed (actually God will through you).

When Jesus says, "I will build my church," you can be sure that Satan can not stop its growth. When we seek to do God's will, we will never lose.

Ecclesiastes 7:13: Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked?

Romans 8:31: What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Go have a great day doing God's will, you winner you.

September 24 Daniel 10-12 Need a Commentary Sometimes

When you come to a reading like today's, you really need a Bible commentary close at hand. It's hard to get a good understanding of exactly what all is talked about in this prophetic piece of Scripture. However, even though we might not understand the minutiae, we can understand that God knows every detail that will happen in the future. Things may look like they are out of control or that Satan has the upper hand, but we know that God is in ultimate control and at His appointed time, things will draw to a close. There will be a resurrection - some to everlasting shame, and others to everlasting life.

September 23 Ezra 1:1-4:5 Omnipresence of God

Very interesting are the declarations of Cyrus about God. No doubt, Cyrus was a polytheistic (many gods) pagan idol worshiper So, Cyrus declared:

• His name - the LORD - Yahweh
• He gave Cyrus all the kingdoms
• Appointed him to build a temple for God
• Yahweh is the God of Israel
• Yahweh is in Jerusalem

Cyrus is correct about all but the last two assertions. Right now, the LORD is God of Israel, but He really is God over all people. At that time, few outside of Israel worshiped Him as such. 

Cyrus is wrong about God is in Jerusalem. Polytheists believed that different places and even families had different gods who presided there with them. The LORD is omnipresent - He is everywhere - all at the same time. He is distinct from everywhere - whereas Buddhists believe God is part of everything. We are not God and God is not us, yet He is everywhere. 

God is truly over Cyrus and has the power to give Cyrus kingdoms and appoint him to build a temple. All of the other gods that Cyrus thinks exist, simply do not.

The God of the Bible is over all and is everywhere - the only King over all the heavens and earth.

September 22 Daniel 6 Thanking God

Many people remember the story of Daniel in the Lions Den from their kiddie Sunday School years. Unfortunately, all we remember is the kiddie version.

Critical to the account is Daniel's recognized integrity. The king recognized it and wanted to make him second in command. Daniel's peers - in opposition - also recognized his integrity - "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." They also were well aware that he prayed three times a day - and that he would continue despite any decree to the contrary.

Do any of us so love our God that we would risk death to pray to Him? Are we so committed not to defile ourselves before God (see Daniel 1) that we would display unwavering integrity all our lives in political service to pagan kings - and win their respect? God is worth it!

What I think is so amazing is what the text tells us about Daniel's prayers - "giving thanks to his God." Remember that all knew that Daniel did this three times a day!

Saints, giving thanks to God is so critical to our spiritual lives. We all want to be holy - set apart from God - right? Notice how important thanks is to our holiness: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:15-17).

Saints, be thankful to God and see your joy abound - and your holiness to all to be seen. Daniel recognized the God whom he served - the rest was easy.

September 21 Daniel 5, 9 Favor of the LORD

In Daniel 9:13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. We all want the favor of God and Daniel tells us how to get it - to turn from our sins (repent) and focusing our attention on His truth (obedience). Could it be made any more simple?

September 20 Daniel 7-8 Going Get Worse Before It Gets Better

The visions we read about give us an overview of human history into the end times when evil will be removed forever! Coming in the future is a time when the Anti-Christ (beast) will overtake all that is good over all the earth. But all will not be lost - God will overturn him in an instant.

Our big question is whether or not, we the church will go through these hard times. Scholars are divided on this issue. Scripture is not 100% clear on this. Anyone who is dogmatic about this is misleading you. It is ok to take a position based on YOUR study (as opposed to just accepting your teacher's), but please do so with humility. I recommend that you know what the Scriptures say as opposed to memorizing books and charts.

The most important thing is NOT how things will transpire, but WHAT will eventually happen - evil loses and God and those allied with Him win!!!! The prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, will reign. No matter how hard things get, never lose the vision of victory that is assured for those aligned with Christ. Keep the end in view always - and win!!!

September 19 Psalms 102, 106, 123, 137 Long Life of Sin

Psalm 106 hails God as Savior of His people and extols His goodness, love, and enduring justice. The the psalmist delineates a long history of rebellion of Israel against their good God. The psalmist reminds us of the rebellion by the Red Sea, their craving for meat, the envy of Moses His anointed, the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, the idolatry and immorality on the Plains of Moab, and their fall into idolatry in the Promised Land. But God relented and preserved a remnant.

The psalmist is pleading to God to regather His people back in the Promised Land. Only a God of mercy can consider this. That is Who God is.

We may look on Israel with derision for their constant rebellion in the face of God's faithfulness. Please don't - they are a mirror image of ourselves. We are all committed sinners falling into rebellion against God over and over again. The psalmist's plea at the end of the psalm should be ours:
Psalm 106:47-48 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD.

September 18 Psalms 44, 74, 79, 80, 85, 89 When Punished for Sin

We are currently reading psalms written by various psalmists during the exile of the Israelites from the promised Land. Way back in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, God promised the Jews that if they obeyed, God will bless them abundantly. However, if they did not follow Him, He would bring curses (negative consequences) in increasing severity upon the people. The ultimate penalty for the long continued rebellion would result in being expelled from the Land. of course, that happened when the Babylonians overran Jerusalem and destroyed the city, including the Temple. In addition, all but the poorest people were taken to Babylon. These psalms appear to be written during exile.

The psalmists appear to be faithful believers in God who are caught up in the net of nation sin and subsequent discipline. The psalmists express their shame for their sin and for their present situation. They note that they are surrounded by people who deride the LORD their God. God is derided when His people act like fools in rebellion. His so-called "people" bring Him great shame.

Saints, we represent our God every minute of every day. We have the responsibility and privilege to bring Him honor and glory through the difference He has made in our life. Let us live our lives to show His greatness.

When we sin, act like fools, and rebel against Him, we bring shame upon ourselves and Him. If He disciplines us in some sort of spiritual exile - natural negative consequences for our sin or some sort of spiritual dryness in our relationship with Him - it is tough duty - as related to us by these psalms.

Stay close to God. Let's keep our relationship fresh and vibrant. Obey! Enjoy! This doesn't mean that we won't experience hard times in this life, but hard times are endurable with God close by.

September 17 Job 38-42 God's Ways Are Beyond Our Wisdom

God never answers the question as to why good people suffer (or why do the wicked prosper). However, God reminds us all of the great power and wisdom that He alone possesses far beyond the capability of man. God seems to be saying that we should question why He does what He does.

Contained in these chapters is so much about God's creation that we can read and marvel at. These chapters are great reading while out in a park or hiking in a place to enjoy the great outdoors. What God has created is of great majesty in how it all works together. Creation is an engineering masterpiece, so interwoven - huge - beyond comprehension!

Creation reminds of God's providence. We can know He is just and in the end His justice will prevail. We need to believe this because we will all suffer at some point and we need to trust that God has His reasons - though we most likely will never learn of them. If you are suffering, it will not necessarily be because of unrepentant sin in your life.

September 16 Job 32-37 Never Good to Question God

Elihu, the younger, speaks and seems to claim that it is not all age that gives wisdom, but the Spirit of God. Wisdom can be found in the young, also.

Elihu basically scolds Job for claiming that God has erred by striking Job. Remember, they do not know that it is Satan who has stricken Job, not God. God doesn't have to meet with job, God can seel al and knows all. Elihu says, "Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong...It is unthinkable that God could do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice."

Elihu finishes his speech in almost setting up God's speech - "The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, He does not oppress."

God makes no mistakes - he oppresses no one. Yet, bad things do happen to good people. We all want to know why. God will talk next and His answer to why bad things happen to good people is for all to hear.

Till tomorrow...

September 15 Job 25-31 Others-Centered Integrity

Read Job 31 for insight into what others-centered integrity looks like. There are some great verses to memorize on all sorts of integrity related issue.

How about Job's commitment to not lust after other women - "I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl."

Job talks about truthfulness, treating servants justly, and being kind to the needy. it is very interesting that Job knew God's heart to the fatherless, widow, and poor because he said that his motivation was, "I dreaded destruction from God!"

Job talks about not trusting in his wealth (remember his earlier quote when all his wealth was taken away), not gloating over others' losses, hospitality, and more.

vv. 33-34 are very, very interesting - "If I have concealed my sin as men do, by hiding my guilt in my heart because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside" Job argues against people pleasing and hypocrisy - his character (who he really was when no one was looking) equated to his reputation (who people saw him as). He wasn't going to be found out as a phony, even though his friends at his bedside were convinced without proof of Job's secret sin.

This is a good chapter to reflect upon and determine in what areas we might fall short. God can bring us up into Biblical integrity - if we cooperate!

September 14 Job 22-24 Treasuring God's Word

In v. 23:12, Job says, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread." Lets examine his statement.

First, we need bread (or food in general which this signifies) to live. We can not live without bread. We need it constantly (daily) to survive. When we go without it even for a while, we suffer - we experience hunger, pain, and our performance in life declines. Daily bread is life sustaining.

Job says that God's word is even more important to him! Job needs God's word to live. Job can't live without God's word. Job needs it constantly to survive. If Job goes without it for even a while, he will suffer - he will experience "God-hunger," pain (from living outside of God's word), and his performance in life will be imperiled. God's word is life sustaining to Job - more than daily bread!!!

How often do you study God's Word? Daily? Can you go days without consuming His word? If you aren't a daily consumer of God's Word, then you can be sure that your life on earth is negatively affected. Oh, perhaps other people will say you are performing at a high level, but remember what God said about Job - "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

Is that how God would describe you today? If you are not sure, then begin by "treasuring" God's word above your daily bread. Watch what God does in your life - and be open to how He wants to rearrange your priorities.

September 13 Job 18-21 Wicked Often Prosper

Job 21 is an important chapter in Job. In it, Job presents his observations that sometimes the wicked do prosper - throughout their whole life ("growing old and increasing in power") and into their death ("watch is kept over their tomb"). This is a conundrum of life - good things happen to godless people and bad things happen to good people.

Most people see this as an argument against God (against His existence or if He does exist, a being not to be worshiped as great). I see it differently. The Bible tells us that there is judgment after death - that God will bring all things to light - and afterwards some will be relegated to everlasting punishment and others to be with Him. Justice will be served in the end. Without God and judgment, this would be an unfair world. Those who "believe" in universalism - all go to heaven - are actually espousing an unjust universe and an unjust God - one who lets the wicked get away with it all.

September 12 Job 15-17 Encourager You?

Job is dismayed at the discouragement that his "friends" bring him. Job calls them "miserable comforters."

What kind of comforter are you?

Job contends in Chapter 16, "But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief." This sure sounds like a grace-filled Christian to me. We are called to be great encouragers - great boosters to others - cheerleaders! We must start with our own families - telling our spouses that we appreciate them - we love them - thanking them for all that they are and do for us and others. We must appreciate our children - not being condemners, but being great encouragers who build them up and remind them all that they do right. Correction and discipline can be accepted more readily if counter-balanced with the life-giving encouragement most of the time.

We should extend the same grace of thank-yous and appreciation and complements to those we work with, friends, neighbors, and extended family. it is really easy to find things to be thankful for in others.

So, why don't we do this so much? The problem lies within us - we envy, we have jealousy, we are insecure and think that if we build up others that our own self-image is diminished - however, the opposite is true.

I have had my share of discouragers in my life - the only time that they give me feedback is when it is negative. These people are joy-robbers and rather poor friends. I really don't enjoy being around them and dread meetings with them. You have people like them in your life, too. Their negative feedback may always be true and helpful, but it is hard to endure.

Let this never be true of any of us. It is easy to be an encourager. Buy a pack of greeting cards and look for occasions to send them out to say thank you, I appreciate you for _______. Tell the people around you that you appreciate that they ____________. Make it a habit. Let the world know what grace looks like - the kind of grace we have all received from God.

September 11 Job 11-14 Read Carefully

Job is a book of the Bible where all of the theology presented is not correct. Job's friends bring forth incorrect theology - the wicked are punished and the good prosper in this life as a rule. That is not always the case.

Zophar does speak some good observances in vv. 11:7-9 about our inability to understand the mind of God completely. The mysteries of God are well beyond our capture and comprehension.

Job says something very profound in Chapter 14 -"Man's days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." Let us all remember that we have a set time on earth - one day less than yesterday - and let us live our lives circumspectly - making every minute count because we will have to give account for how we spent our life. God will ask us if we lived our allotted time for His mission or for ours. let's all be able to give a good account for our allotted time.

September 10 Job 8-10 Bad Assumption

Bildad begins by telling Job that Job's children sinned and that is why they were killed. This is not true. Life does not always make sense. The good suffer and the evil sometimes prosper. We should learn from the Book of Job to not jump to conclusions.

Although we know that this world is not fair, we do know that the universe that includes God will make all things right eventually. We need to have faith in this life and let God rule - He will make all things right in His time.

September 9 Job 4-7 Job Sick Because of Sin?

We, the readers, know that Job is not sick because of sin in his life. In fact, God's assessment of Job to Satan is quite the opposite - a man who fears God and shuns evil. Job is sick because God has allowed Satan to strike Job with sickness. Satan is confident that when Job's health is taken away, Job will curse God to His face. We know all this, but Job and his friends do not. We have a "look behind the curtain" that Job and his friends are unaware.

Eliphaz has listened to Job and now feels compelled to give him some advice. Eliphaz is insinuating that Job is guilty of some sin(s). Why else would he be so sick? Eliphaz is contending that bad comes to those who are evil; good to those who are righteous.Today is a beginning of a long debate over whether or not that is true between Job and his friends.

Job is lamenting his pain and suffering - if only God would relent and take him.

It was probably comforting to Job to have his friends visit him and just sit by his side. Their mere presence probably gave him some level of peace. Then they decided to speak - and now suggest that he has some sin he is not taking responsibility for. Now, they bring him more emotional pain to go along with his physical pain. When visiting the sick, we do them a great favor by just holding their hand. Saying the right thing is hard.

September 8 Job 1-3 Lessons from Job's

Job was a "blameless and upright man; he feared God and shunned evil."

He was rich and had a large family. All were removed from him in a day. Our 1st lesson from Job is that we should worship God no matter how much have - little or plenty. It is God's decision for His own purposes to determine how much prosperity we enjoy.

Job was healthy and then stricken very ill. Our 2nd lesson is that we should accept good and bad health from God and not curse Him for bad health. At some point, almost all of us will experience bad health.

Job was not flawless. he thought a righteous man should not be made to suffer. He will talk about the wicked not always suffering. we will all learn about what God says about this. Or not!

September 7 Ezekiel 29; Daniel 4; Jeremiah 52 Humbled to Salvation

God is unable to reach us in our proud, self-sufficient state - when we are like Nebuchadnezzar on his rooftop - taking pride in all that we think we have accomplished on our own. So, God has to show us how little we really are in control and how sovereignly in control God is! Jesus' opening words in the Sermon on the Mount lay the right foundation - "Blessed are the poor in spirit." We must be there before we can give a hoot about God as Savior and Provider.

It is very interesting that after Nebuchadnezzar accepted God as the one in control, his kingdom was restored to be greater than before. When we are saved, our new life is always better than our former.

September 6 Ezekiel 44-48 The LORD is There

The name of the new city of Jerusalem will be, "The LORD is There." The glory of the LORD left the city because of all of the idol worship as chronicled by Ezekiel. But the Jews can look forward to a time when His presence will return. The Israelites at that time will only celebrate Passover/Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles. Some think Rosh Hasannah will also be celebrated (vv. 45:18-20).

Passover will remind people of their cleansing and Tabernacles will remind the Jews of their restored position in God's salvation plan for the world. Since Tabernacles will be celebrated, I recommend people to understand this particular feast - both its past and future significance. It will be celebrated soon - beginning on sundown of September 18 this year.

September 5 Ezekiel 40:1-44:3 Temple of the Future

This is the Temple that is yet to be built - most likely during the 1,000 year reign of Christ (Millennium). When it is built, the Presence of the LORD will be there forever.

September 4 Daniel 3 False Concept of Many Gods

This passage was alluded to in the sermon that God used on the day that I received Christ as Savior. I was in a fiery furnace that day myself.

But I am intrigued that Nebuchadnezzar could witness the power of the LORD and not be drawn to worship this God. Oh yes, he respected God, but did not worship Him. Instead, Nebuchadnezzar went back to his powerless gods, although he probably thought that they gave him all of his past military victories.

Today, people respect other people's "gods" and either think they are the same god they believe in (I won't go so far to say worship) or they are a false god that gives the other people hope - and of course they want to be politically correct and so let them naively worship those false gods.

The concept of theological truth has escaped people. Conflicting beliefs systems can not both be true - either one is right and the other wrong OR they are both wrong. I met a liberal Jew yesterday and I don't think that he understood truth or is just politically correct or he has never examined the logic of his beliefs.

In your pursuit of theology, seek truth - not a belief system that you are comfortable with. Don't be a Nebuchadnezzar.

September 3 Ezekiel 32-33 Ezekiel's Watchman Principle Applied

God told Ezekiel that God would hold Ezekiel accountable for telling people about pending judgment. No matter what the people's response, Ezekiel would have done his job. However, if Ezekiel did not warn the people, then God would hold him accountable for not telling them.

I believe there is a principle for us about evangelizing others. God holds us accountable to tell others about the pending judgment. He doesn't hold us accountable for anyone's response - though we should hone our evangelizing skills and not ourselves be offensive or blundering.

I think we all should take this call to evangelize much more seriously. God will hold us accountable to warn those around us. It is my conviction that the closer that people are to us, the more that God will hold us accountable for telling them the Good and bad News. Please consider your neighbors, family, and closest friends and begin praying for them and then telling. Do it today.

In my opinion, the best times in my life were those times that I got to pray with someone when they received Jesus Christ as their personal savior. The more we preach the Good News, the more that this happens in our lives.

September 2 Ezekiel 37-39 Battle Yet Far Future

Ok, when does this battle occur as described in Ezek 38-39. Some say before the Tribulation (mostly just prior to) and others say, it is the Battle at Armageddon. You need to do your own research to determine if you can be decisive - I can't. However, what is really important is that God will once again bring Israel into the land and let them live safely without fear - that is not the case right now - they are certainly walled, suspecting, and not in a state described in these chapters. At that time, a great force will come against them from the North - some say Russian-led - and God will supernaturally destroy the army. It will happen in such a way that there will be no doubt that the hand of God saved the people of Israel.

I used to be a great student of end-times prophecy and tried to determine precise orders of everything that would occur. The more that I studied, the more I became convinced that precise details were not as important theologically than staying focused on God and His big picture.

God is in control and will be through the end times. Know God's word - not the charts created by men - and be ready for what ever happens.