General Articles

Trust and Obey :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: by RR7

 

As Christians, we have a guide for life. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us to guide our steps day by day. We also have God’s word… Scripture.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word” (Psalm 119:105-107).

The Book of Psalms is a hymnal with deep meanings in each verse. Today we have many songs that we sing on Sunday mornings, but I often wonder how many people really pay attention to the words. I was one who sang the songs and didn’t really think about the words. The tune was memorized, and I sang the words without really paying attention to what I sang. Shame on me! I’ve found that hymns can be little “mini-sermons.” When we feel a joyful praise for God, what better song than to sing “How Great Thou Art.” It speaks to the majesty of God. In times of distress, it’s comforting to sing “It Is Well With My Soul.” And in times of awe over the amazing love and forgiveness God shows us, there are very few songs that can match “Amazing Grace.”

Sometimes we can become upset when God seems to not hear our prayers. When we feel far away from Him, that’s when by faith we need to trust Him. We also need to examine our life and see if we are in His word.

TRUST AND OBEY

Written by John H. Sammis

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

When we first come to Jesus, there’s usually a joy that carries us through whatever crisis we might be facing. As time goes on, sometimes we slip back into old ways of living.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5: 17-18).

Faith in Christ should bring about a change in our ways. Scripture should guide our ways. It should be a lamp unto our feet, and it should light our path so we follow Him. The “old man” is the sin nature we once found nothing wrong with, but if you’ve found salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, then you are a new creation. Anger, pride, jealousy, and love of worldly things should have no place in your life. There are things inspired by Satan.

“But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

In the King James language, “conversation” means your way of life, so the old sinful way of life needs to give way to the way of Christ. Your way of life needs to be living for Christ.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

There will always be challenges in life that can cast a shadow over our faith. Health issues, death of loved ones, financial troubles, war, fear of news headlines, and much more. I have faced all of these issues in my nearly 70 years in this life. There have been many challenges to my faith, as I’m sure you’ve faced trials. Something I’ve learned is that Scripture is where truth is found. The truth is that I can always trust God to always be there. It’s my attitude towards all the turmoil in life that makes a difference. As I watch prophecy unfold, I can either watch the secular news and let my mind and soul be troubled with all trouble and woe that Satan can unleash, or I can turn to God. I can trust Him, and if I obey His word, my soul is at peace with whatever this world has to throw my way.

“Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

God’s peace cannot be found anywhere or any way except in trusting and obeying Him.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

We are saved by our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We cannot earn our salvation, but we can earn treasure which is laid up in Heaven. It may sometimes seem as if this life isn’t worth the pain. On the other hand, if we only see our own little world and the troubles therein, we cause our own pain and suffering. We never experience the joy of our salvation if we don’t look outside of our troubles and reach out to others in need. Instead of seeing things as being all about you, show compassion to others. Instead of being angry because someone hurt you or bruised your pride, look upon them as someone with their own hurts and wounded pride.

As Jesus hung on the cross, He looked down upon the people who had beaten Him, mocked Him, whipped Him, and driven spikes into His hands and feet, He didn’t call down curses upon them. He loved them.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

His blood flowed out of Him, and it was for you and me that He died. He forgives you of the many sins you commit daily, but if you ask Him, He will forgive you. He’s forgiven me of so much, and I’m so grateful.

“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

Everyone who heard knew exactly what the cross meant… it meant death. We are to put our selfish pride to death and follow Christ. Let go of the old things that keep you angry and upset, and, as Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24).

Trust Him and obey Him, and you will find that your life will be filled with many blessings.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

The Holy Spirit will open many doors for you to comfort others because of what you’ve experienced in life. The good things and the bad things will allow you to empathize with other people. Give all to Jesus. Lay every hurt, every heartache, every angry word you’ve even spoken in hatred and anger upon the altar. Let these things live inside you no more. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to use your experiences in life to glorify God. You’ll find that all the hurtful thoughts and words that boil up inside you only hurt others, and they hurt you.

“No servant 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” (Luke 16:13).

Allow Jesus to be your master and obey Him. Only He can be trusted.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Fellowship. The Greek word is” koinonia” and means association, community, communion, joint participation.” Can you even imagine the joy of one day sitting at Jesus’ feet in pure and sweet fellowship? I long for perfect fellowship with Christ. Will that day come after my death, or will I be taken in the Rapture? I have no way of knowing, but I yearn for the Rapture. It will be then that my human nature to sin will be gone, and I will do His bidding with no doubt. Until then, I will do what I can here in this life to serve Him. Scripture tells us to be careful who we fellowship with.

“And be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Have fellowship with fellow believers and help each other to trust and obey Jesus.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Are you happy in Jesus? If not, then maybe it’s time to trust Him and obey Him.

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25).

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

Jeremiah 10:19 – My Wound is Grievous :: By Gary W. Ritter

Published on: by RR7

 

(Jeremiah 9-10; 1 Timothy 3)

The overall vision of what God gave Jeremiah distressed him greatly. The Lord had raised him up to warn and warn again the people of Judah of God’s judgment coming upon them, but they would not listen. Foreseeing what was to come burdened the prophet so much that he must have felt at times that he could bear no more. He loved his nation and the Jewish people. When they purposely turned from Yahweh into their own evil purposes, it brought Jeremiah physical torment. He saw the problem, knew its source, and could do nothing about it other than call out the sin and pray for the people to heed the Word of God. So steeped in their wicked ways, they refused to believe anything would happen to them.

Consider the lament of the prophet in Jeremiah 10:19-21:

“Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, ‘Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it.’ My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread my tent again and to set up my curtains. For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.”

His hurt was bone-crushing in its intensity; the wound felt like the ruthless slaughter of an innocent person; the affliction left him broken and ruined.

Every aspect of his house, perhaps the metaphorical house of Jerusalem, was broken and unrepairable. Whether his own children or those of his people, Jeremiah knew that the next generation was lost. They hadn’t been taught to fear the Lord; they’d gone their own ways; nothing and no one was left to reestablish a righteous household or the city itself.

Those who had been charged with overseeing the moral and ethical lives of the people had become dull of hearing. Their hearts were consumed with useless, wicked activities because they’d forgotten the Lord their God. None of those whom they were supposed to guide into righteous living remained, having been dashed to pieces for their sins.

Can you imagine Jeremiah’s woe that he called down upon himself?

For those of us watching the dissolution of America as our society, and the culture itself, crumble all around us in these latter days, does it not grieve your heart? The United States was such a bright and shining city on a hill. God blessed our nation so abundantly because of how the hearts of the founders, and of many people over the years, had been toward God. They revered the Lord and worked for His kingdom. The Word of God went forth from our shores to other lands. We proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world. God’s ways were instilled within the family and even in the public arena. Schools at one time helped children to walk in faith. Churches were places where people were saved through powerful preaching.

Now there is just a remnant of that.

The Lord loves our country just as He loves the nation of Israel. But just like with His Chosen People, when they turned from Him to follow other gods and He had to punish them for their rejection of the truth, so God is exacting judgment upon America.

For those of us who read God’s Word, it is evident this had to happen. Since our nation doesn’t appear in the end-times narrative, something had to occur to bring us down. No longer are we a country with Godly morals and ideals. Our leaders are corrupt beyond description. The houses of worship in this once great nation have fallen into apostasy, following the ways of the world rather than those of God. They retain some element of spirituality, but it has nothing to do with the righteousness and holiness that leads people to the truth found only in Christ Jesus. And so it is with the peoples of this land. They are ignorant of the Lord because the generation before them neglected to instruct them in the fear and admonition of God. Those who go to the vast majority of churches have no real concept of the Person of Jesus and who He is as the way, truth, and life.

For all this, does not your heart grieve, just as Jeremiah’s did? He saw his city and nation coming to ruin. Despite all the prophet did that God gave him the means to do, it had to feel like a worthless effort. No one would heed his voice crying out to turn back to the only One who could save them.

For those of us continuing to do the work of God to advance His kingdom, does it not feel hopeless at times? Yes, little pockets of transformation crop up here and there, but the overwhelming tide is rushing toward the shore of darkness. But we knew these days would come. Scripture has plainly told us there would be no reprieve, no Great Awakening.

Knowing this, what are we to do? God has told us a day is coming when He will remove us from this alien place known as the world. That is our overarching hope. It is God’s promise to which we cling. So, should we just head to our bunkers and wait for this marvelous moment?

By no means! As hard as it is, as disheartening as it sometimes seems, we are to work while daylight still remains. God placed each of us here, in our particular places, at this specific time, to accomplish something that we’re supposed to do. If we neglect this duty, how faithful are we? How trustworthy? Will we be the good and faithful servant who carries out his responsibilities while his master is absent?

That’s what God wants for each of us. When He returns, will He have found us diligent in our daily chores?

I think we need to simultaneously look up as we await Jesus’ return, but at the same time keep our hands on the plow and our eyes on the field ahead so that as we till, our rows are straight.

Would God want any less of us?

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The Lord has put it on my heart to always read completely through His Word at least once each year. From that practice, it resulted in my producing the Awaken Bible Study Notes, a 4-volume set correlating with each quarter’s readings. This is the link to Amazon for Volume 1 covering January – March (Genesis 1 – Judges 5; Matthew 1 – Luke 7): Awaken Bible Study Notes series Volume 1

Following that year’s efforts, God gave me the “assignment” of writing a daily essay on what I had read. That produced the 4-volume Awaken Bible Commentary and Reflections series. Here is the link on Amazon to Volume 1, which covers January – March (Genesis 1 – Judges 5; Matthew 1 – Luke 7): Awaken Bible Commentary and Reflections series Volume 1

If these daily writings have been a blessing to you, I hope that you’ll acquire these books for further study. My intent in all I write is to bring God the glory and to make His people think. Both the Study Notes and the Commentary and Reflections delve into the prophetic and supernatural nature of God’s Word, a combination you simply won’t find elsewhere. They attempt to show the parallels to our times with the peril from the past when God’s people turn away from Him and His commands. Scripture is very much a blueprint for today.

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Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and prolific author. His Whirlwind Series comprises three end-times books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is a Time. These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus. Gary has written many other Christian thrillers that will challenge you, and which you can learn about at his website:www.GaryRitter.com. You can also watch Gary’s video Prophecy Updates on Rumble at his Awaken Bible Prophecy channel: https://rumble.com/c/c-783217.