“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah” (Psalm 46: 1-3).

There is not a day that goes by that we do not hear of death of so many at the hands of the jihadists (ISIS).  These Islamic terrorists are cowards and are satanically possessed.  Many in the world are afraid.  This is what the terrorists count on – that they will instill fear in the hearts of the “infidels.”

Brethren, we belong to the One who made the heavens and the earth. We are precious in His sight. We are loved with an everlasting love. The Lord wants us to keep our eyes on Him. He wants us to read His Word in which He speaks to us.

We must remember that if the worst happens, and we become victims to  terrorism, we simply come into the presence of Jesus. Not so for the unsaved.  They will go from fear, death and then onto eternal punishment for rejecting the only One who could have saved their souls – Jesus.

John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

Galatians 3:26 – For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Romans Chapter 8: 17-19

 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God”

1 John 2:28-29

 ^“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

1 Peter 2:10

 ^“Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Romans 5: 1-21

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.  

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What is better to calm the child of God than the Word of God? Stay in His Word.  Praise Him with song!  We have joy – joy does not depend on what is happening. Joy never leaves us because He never leaves us!

I believe it won’t be long until we hear the trumpet sound, and we will be together with our Glorious Savior and with one another!

Shalom b’Yeshua

MARANATHA!

Recently, I wrote a piece about my granddaughter. My son (her dad) decided that he doesn’t believe the things about Jesus anymore. In the article I shared my heart ache that my son is not teaching my granddaughter anything about the Lord, and that he and his wife do not want me sending anything to her about Jesus – no Bible – nothing about Him.

I received so many wonderful emails from the readers of the piece. Many told me that they would pray about the situation.  Many others told me that they were going through the same thing.  I read heart breaking stories and I am praying for these brothers and sisters.

In this article I want to tell the readers more about my son, and what precipitated his falling away.  When my son was 14, he told me that he wanted me to lead him in prayer to the Lord. He told me that he knew that he was a sinner and needed Jesus so badly.  We talked for a long time, and I realized that he was truly repentant and was ready to be born again. We prayed and then the next Sunday he went to our pastor and told him what he had done, and that he wanted to be baptized.

I had never seen anyone so on fire for the Lord. He began to study the Scriptures daily. Every night before going to bed, he would read his Bible. He collected and read books by the great theologians.  He would even talk with pastor about the Lord. He shared the Gospel every chance he could. This boy was an inspiration to me.

Remember “Meet you at the pole?”  Christian kids would meet on a special day very early before classes to pray for their high school. He came home and told me that he was the only one there – but he didn’t care. He wanted the Lord to be proud of him.

When he was 17, one day he came to me and said that he felt that the Lord might be calling him to preach. I told him that I would be praying that he would hear the Lord clearly. I was amazed and so grateful to Jesus.

College

My son decided to attend a college not far from home. I noticed during his first year that he seemed to be changing. He was questioning the Word – asking why God would do this and that. I told him that God always had His reasons for doing anything, and that His ways are so much higher than ours. I told him that God is sovereign and that we must trust all that He does.

I could feel that he was falling away. I prayed and prayed. I asked God to help him through this time of questioning. But things got worse and the communication between the two of us was beginning to diminish.

Marriage

After college, my son got a job in a physics lab not far from our home. There he met his bride to be.   She had been brought up without Jesus and was an ardent atheist.  A few years later they married.  I never stopped praying. I was crushed, but the Lord reminded me that He was in control, and that nothing was too difficult for Him.

The Confession

While I was on Facebook one day, I received a friend request from someone I did not know.  I looked at his page and nothing looked familiar. I wrote a message to him and asked how he knew me. He wrote back and told me that he went to college with my son – that they were in the physics program together. He said that he had some things that he had wanted to tell me for a long time, and wanted to ask my forgiveness.

This young man poured out his heart to me. He said that when my son had come to the college, he was a strong Christian. He said that the kids belittled him every chance they could, and that he was among them.

He also told me that the professors on campus were mostly atheists, and that they did everything possible to make Christian students feel small and stupid.  He said that he watched my son change – that he became a different person.  He told me that he felt responsible because they were good friends.

It seems that this young man had taken Hebrew and Greek – one from a rabbi and the other from a professor.  This created a burning in his heart to study the Bible.  He said he was not saying that he was looking to be a Christian, it was just that he was brought up in an atheist environment, and he began to wonder about things. He wondered if the things within my son, when he first met him, could be true. He was/is seeking.

I am still Facebook friends with this man. He married an unbeliever, and from what I can see, he is still floundering – but only the Lord knows what is going on in his heart. I continue to pray for him.

Parents beware

I have been reading article after article about college campuses and how they undo everything we have cultivated in our children.  I began to beat myself up that we did not insist that our son go to a Christian college.  I have heard that there are still some very liberal professors there, but I still think that it would have been a totally different environment and experience for my son.

When I think – we sent our son to the lions – not intentionally of course, ignorantly, I become so sad.  I am writing this piece to warn any parents who have teens who are looking at different colleges.  I hope that many are reading this piece, and I hope that they are taking these words to heart.

I received an email after that last article, and the person said that their child (in college) voted for Bernie Sanders!  She was so distraught.  She said that she didn’t realize what an effect the secular college would have on her child.

Brethren, we are in this world, but we are not of it.  We should come out and be separate, when it comes to something that will have a dramatic impact on our children. All those years, teaching them about Jesus and what He did for us – and then sending them into a culture of atheism.  It still makes me cry.

 ^“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17: 14-15).

MARANATHA