Unless someone has been on another planet for the past few years, it should be obvious the whole world is changing direction, and not going the right way. The hate from the liberal left is growing stronger day by day, and the majority of it is being directed toward anything Christian or Jewish. Further, it’s all prophesied in the Bible. (any emphasis mine)
The worst part of all this is, that even evangelical Christianity is turning around and going away from pure biblical teaching. The mode of today is,
- “Make me feel good.”
- “Give me messages that tell me what a good person I am, and don’t bring up anything negative like sin.”
- “Entertain me with humorous stories, upbeat music, and tell me that just because I’m at every service, I am guaranteed a spot in heaven.”
- There really is no hell.
- We all worship the same god.
- Jesus was just a good prophet.
- Because the “Jews” killed Him, they’re out of the eternal picture.
- The Bible is out-of-date, and the abominations in it are ancient history as well.
Now for a reality check:
- Malachi 3:6, “For I, the Lord do not change; therefore, you, O children of Jacob (Jews) are not consumed.”
- Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
- 1 Peter 1:24-25, “For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever. And this Word is the good news that was preached to you.”
- Finally, don’t forget the warnings in Revelation 22:18-19 about “adding to or taking away anything from” the Word of God’s book.
It’s no wonder that there are so many people that feel as if their lives are hopeless. Satan is gaining speed in his promoting confusion and doubt; and there are more and more falling because of this garbage. What we should see is that his time here is getting short, and he’s getting desperate. He’s pressing his followers (demons, antichrists and false prophets) to increase the rhetoric to draw souls away from the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). He knows every trick possible to get even the most devout Christians to have doubts and fall.
Jesus is not surprised by any of this, and told us what the attitude would be during the times of the end.
Matthew 24:9-12, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then, many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”
Sounds as if He were reading from today’s headlines. To see even more, read Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3. Every one of the traits is very visible in today’s world.
How can the true believer begin to combat this? It’s enough to test even the strongest in their faith, and if they listen to the world, they might start having serious doubts.
Kris Kristofferson wrote a song in 1972 that is very prevalent today: “Why Me Lord?” For the one who does not have solid footing with the Lord, this question may come up. What’s so special about me, who has “wasted it so”? How can I ever be forgiven for what I’ve done?
The chorus of the song expresses it quite well: “Lord Help Me, Jesus, I’ve wasted it so; Help Me Jesus; I know what I am. But now that I know that I’ve needed You so, Help Me, Jesus, My Soul’s in Your Hand.”
Very powerful words that apply especially in today’s atmosphere. (More about this song in a future message – Lord Willing.)
First and foremost, we need to realize we are all sinners (Romans 3:23); and, without a Savior, we are lost. We need to call out to the Savior and confess that we need Him in our lives to save us. We must have faith in His promise and accept the free gift He gave us, which was paid in full at Calvary. We must literally put our souls in His hands. When we call out to Him, we will be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13). We need to read His words from a true version of the Bible daily to seek His guidance.
Okay, we’ve turned our lives over to the Lord, and are determined to live for Him from that moment on. That’s all there is to it – Right?? Not even close. We’ve accepted Him today, and are bound and determined to stay with Him. This is when Satan and his crew start their vicious attacks. They don’t go after the ones they know are totally theirs, but try to steal away the souls of any who profess to belong to the Lord. On our own, we are on a course for absolute failure, and will not be able to withstand all the fiery darts that are thrown at us constantly. Anyone who believes they can battle Satan without Jesus is going to lose.
Going back to 1932, Thomas Dorsey (not one of the Dorsey Brothers of the Big Band era) was in a band, and was very much into his religion. His father was a Baptist minister in Georgia, and Thomas’ early teachings stayed with him. He was called from his home in Chicago to sing at a revival in St. Louis. His wife Nettie Harper was very pregnant, and stayed home. On the first night of the revival, Thomas received a telegram that his wife had died in childbirth, and he returned to Chicago. Ms. Nettie had delivered a baby boy who also died the next day. Brother Dorsey was totally filled with grief.
At this point, many would have turned away from anything that had to do with religion, blame God for their hurt, and go into a deep, bitter depression. Brother Dorsey was with a friend in his home, and he was sitting at the piano just playing a tune. Over and over again, he said, “Blessed Lord; Blessed Lord; Blessed Lord!” The friend was listening and suggested that Thomas might make it “Precious Lord,” and the words came flowing out.
This was the birth of a Christian Gospel Standard that many many people have recorded. The first recording was in 1937 by the Heavenly Gospel Singers. Today, it is translated in over 40 languages. Consider the message in this beautiful call out to the Savior. By the way, Thomas Dorsey’s version with him singing this song is on YouTube.
1.) When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near, when my life is almost gone. Hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall; take my hand, Precious Lord, lead me Home.
c.) Precious Lord, take my hand; lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light; take my hand, Precious Lord, lead me Home.
2.) When the darkness appears, and the night draws near, and the day is past and gone. At the river I stand; guide my feet, hold my hand; take my Hand, Precious Lord, lead me Home. (c.)
This song was a favorite of Dr. Martin Luther King, and Mahalia Jackson sang it at his funeral. Later, Aretha Franklin sang it for Mahalia at Mahalia’s funeral. There are numerous recordings of this inspirational song including one by Elvis Presley. My personal favorites are sung by Jim Reeves and Carroll Roberson.
The lyrics are telling Jesus we absolutely need Him and ask for His protection from all life’s troubles. Jesus said we would have tribulations in this world, but through Him we would have peace as He has overcome the world (John 16:33).
He knows we are “tired, weak and worn.” We tell Him the only way we can make it through our issues is for Him to lead us all the way, and right up until we are finally with Him.
That day is soon coming when we will hear His call, hear the trumpet/shofar, and rise up to meet Him in the air (Rapture). In the meantime, we must rely on Him for our strength. We can talk to Him (prayer) at any time and know He is there listening to us.
His word gives us all we need to have a true and everlasting relationship with our Savior.
Consider reading John 3:16-18; John 10; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:8-11; Romans 10:9-13 and Ephesians 2:8-9 to get started. Be sure to ask that the Holy Spirit would enlighten you with understanding, to make the passages even more personal. After all, when God gave us His love letter, He had you and me in mind.
This world is not going to get any better, but we don’t have to sink with it. His flock will be on that straight and narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14), walking hand-in hand with the Lord. We will slip and fall, as we’re human. He has even given us the way to forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10. He is never too busy to hear from each and every one of us.
Take My Hand, Precious Lord; Lead Me Home!
Shalom ‘b Yeshua!