Almost everyone is aware of the serenity prayer encouraged by A-A and other groups that help addicts. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…”
This simple prayer has a tremendous amount of wisdom, especially for believers. I often see good, sincere believers that do not recognize the difference between what they can and cannot change. For many, it gets even more confusing when they do not grasp the difference between God’s responsibility and our own. So often, this ends with us putting our attention on the wrong things.
As I look at social media, I see more and more people arguing about theological opinions that are pretty much meaningless. Paul addresses this in 1 Timothy 6:4-5 (NKJV), …he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth…
My pastor in Bible college used to say, “Major on the majors and minor on the minors.” Unfortunately, those who are driven by insecurity and a corrupt ego have a need to impress. They cause divisions and strife over theological issues that will do nothing to benefit the hearer.
There are things we need to know and things that really don’t matter. The main thing we need to know is: God is the comforter, not the tormentor. He is the deliverer, not the one who oppresses. He is the God of peace, not the God of torment. He is always willing and attempting to lead us; He never abandons us.
In John 17, Jesus acknowledged that He had kept His disciples through God’s name and prayed that when He left the world, God would continue to keep them through His name! In other words, the names of God provide the basis by which we can know what to expect from God: our righteousness, sanctification, peace, presence, healing, provision, leadership, and protection. God will do nothing that goes against His Name. In fact, any interpretation of God’s Word that is in disagreement with His Name cannot be correct! Psalm 138:2 says this: “You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!” (AMP).
The Apostle Paul warns of a great falling away just before the antichrist is revealed. “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NKJV). Many who fall away will be the result of blaming God for all the horrors that are coming upon the earth, which is something one cannot believe if they know and believe in the name of God! In addition to those who fall away, many will suffer needlessly because they do not know the names of God!
One of the most serious blasphemies we can commit is to take God’s name in vain. Religion reduced this commandment to such an extent they believed this was the mispronunciation of His name. Gentile Christians minimized this to speaking God’s name in conjunction with a curse word. It is more likely that taking God’s name in vain is to identify with the name of God and then misrepresent that name.
God’s name is more than a means of identifying Him. It actually identifies His character and nature. It gives us an unmistakable way to know what we can expect of Him. So, if we believe God makes us sick, we are taking the name of Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our healer, vainly. If we call Him Jehovah-Shalom, the God of Peace, and believe He torments us as a means of teaching, we are taking His name vainly. We can’t receive the promise from God if we deny His name, i.e., the guarantee of the promise.
Obviously, the more we know the Scriptural teachings about the coming dark days, the more confidently we will trust God! However, there are many things we are seeking to know that will not make any difference in our confidence in God. Sadly, we are seduced into sensationalizing the end-time events and missing the most important aspects of the Revelation!
There are endless streams of teaching about what is coming that primarily serve to fill our hearts with fear. Moreover, they are not really important in the grand scheme of God’s plan.
Here is what you need to know:
God did not cause this tribulation; it is the scheme of wicked people who seek to dominate the earth while destroying all trust for God.
God did not introduce death and destruction into the world; that was done by Adam and sustained through every human who has ever lived.
Jesus will rapture (take away) the Church from the tribulation; that’s why it is called the blessed hope.
We are delivered from the wrath of God. God can never and would never pour His wrath on the Church.
Jesus will return to destroy the antichrist and the wicked who are attempting to destroy the earth
Jesus will personally establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, where He will rule and reign for 1000 years.
New Jerusalem (Heaven) will come to Planet Earth, where the believers will dwell with God for eternity.
As long as you are immovable on these seven points, you will be strong in the faith and able to stand through anything. These are the things we must personally believe, teach our families, and preach to the world!
We, as individual believers and the Church, have three monumental tasks before us:
We must teach the Church the truth about God and His goodness. The Church needs to trust God explicitly.
We must inform the rest of the world of what is happening and how they can trust God.
The entire world must know the Kingdom of God will be established on earth. We will finally live in the world as God intended!
All three of these priorities are encapsulated in this mandate given by Jesus. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14 (NKJV).
Everything we do at Impact Ministries is based on this commission issued by the Lord Jesus. Every book, every message, every post, and every Bible class, fulfills these God-given directives. The money you give and the products you purchase help make this possible. When the currency is digitized, we will not be able to financially support the ministries and missionaries who do not align with the official message of the state. Therefore, we must use this time wisely, reaching the world with the gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus said it like this, “…night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4 (NKJV).
If we do not change the way the world sees God, they will fail to trust Him; they will reject His name, suffering in ignorance and unbelief. Thank you for your faithful support in the past and the future. Because of you
…together will change the way the world sees God!
The easiest and possibly most effective way to establish your heart in the names of God is to use the Prayer Organizer daily.
P.S. Join us in CyberChurch this month, where we’re discovering The Mind of Christ.
Check out The Mind of Christ MP3 audio teaching series if you wish to dig deeper.
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