Trust.

In life we are told to blindly trust… trust the science, trust the education system, trust the government, etc. The world is constantly calling us to trust in a system, a person, ourselves, an ideology, an expert, a plan, a product or a process.

As Christians, we’re not called to place our trust in any of these. As Christians, we’re expected to obediently place our full trust in the maker of heaven and earth, God Almighty. And, as we trust, our faith grows stronger, which enables us to more boldly face life and what comes our way.

Trust is not about how we feel. Feelings are fickle and can lead astray, but rather as a believer, truly trusting is the act of intentionally and constantly placing our lives… every thought… every concern… every situation, every day, into the hands of a loving, capable, trustworthy, all-knowing, all-powerful God. And we’re to do it faithfully, no matter how things look or feel.

Trust requires action. Trust requires obedience. Trust requires perseverance. Trust entails staying positive and being grateful while not allowing fear, worry or complaining to take hold… all these things have no place in our hearts. They all need to be shown the door and not allowed to take root.

Trust requires believing. Trust requires faith. God deserves our trust as He has never let us down and never will let us down. He is a good God… a great God! He promises He has a perfect plan for all who place trust in Him (Jeremiah 29:11).

Are you trusting in Him regarding every area of your life? Are you trusting in Him to provide for your needs in this uncertain, ever-changing world? Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Are you trusting in something or someone that can change, or in a perfect God who never changes?

Trust is a commitment… a commitment to not waiver in believing God’s promises. It is a daily decision. And when we fully place our trust in our loving, heavenly Father, we can have full assurance that all will be well because He is in control.

For me, these past few months have been a continuous exercise in trust. I cannot say I’ve handled everything perfectly, but I trust that God is working on me and refining what needs to be refined, changing what needs to be changed. I feel nowhere close to being there, but I’m thankful God loves me unconditionally, as I am, and that I can put my heart, my life, and my trust in His capable hands.

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the holiday celebrations, the candlelight church services, surprising my family by planning fun events to attend, traveling to see relatives. I enjoy listening to Christmas classics on the radio and sharing special traditions. It’s just a happy time in the year for me. Yet, this past December, the day after Christmas, we received a call that my uncle, one of my closest relatives whom also I consider one of my closest friends, had passed away.

He and I have always had a very special relationship, and his passing has left a void. To this day, I don’t understand why he was taken so soon. I always thought he would be around to see my kids grow up and to have fun adventures with them like he and I had together. All those plans came to an end when he passed… when that phone call came.

A call like that has a way of stopping you cold. My mind raced with questions, and the “why’s” started flooding my thoughts. It is difficult to wrap one’s head around such a devastating impact in one’s life. Yet, the reality for me was this: I had to put my trust in the truth that God knows best, and I don’t. And, in placing my trust in Him, I can experience peace in spite of the pain and unanswered questioning.

The peace God promises to believers is conveyed in Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

I know that my uncle and l will see each other again one day. This truth has brought some healing, yet I still hurt. Knowing that we’ll be reunited again one day brings joy, yet knowing I can’t pick up the phone and talk to him or see him in the here and now brings sadness. That’s simply the reality, yet I hold to the Truth – Jesus, and trust that His plans, His ways are perfect, and He knows better than me or any of us. I’m thankful I can lean on Him and experience peace during difficult times.

As I have experienced in life, some things will never make sense this side of heaven. Isaiah 55:8 explains: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” This verse reminds me that we’re not expected to understand everything, yet we are expected to lean on God and to put our trust in Him concerning ALL things.

Whether it’s a sinful world spiraling, covid, loss of a relationship, or other troubles, we’re to trust God through all the frustrations, changes, disappointments and challenges. He doesn’t just want our trust; He wants to carry our burdens and bring us peace in the process.

So, as half of our house flooded a few weeks ago due to a washing machine malfunction which affected five rooms and a hallway in under two minutes, I’m called to trust. As I spend my time looking for new flooring (something I really don’t enjoy doing), I’m called to trust.

All the unpleasant moments that come with life require each of us to make a choice. Do we trust in our Heavenly Father who never fails us, or do we place our trust elsewhere… in someone or something? The choice seems clear. I’m going to place my trust in the only unchanging, trustworthy option, and that is placing my trust in the One who is truth… the Savior!

Every day YOU have a choice. Are you going to place your trust in God… the very One who created you, who knows your life from beginning to end… who gave you breath? Are you going to trust Him when you don’t understand a situation? Are you going to trust Him when life throws an unexpected event your way? Are you going to trust Him when the “Why’s” are running through your head and you simply don’t understand?

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for many this past year. It’s been a wild ride for me and my family the past six months. I’ve decided if I have to ride the ride, I want Jesus at the wheel.

My hope is that you be encouraged in knowing that your Heavenly Father is in control, and placing your complete trust concerning all areas of your life in God’s hands is the best decision.

I pray you will find comfort in these beautiful scriptures as you hold to God’s promises. I pray you will be encouraged in remembering: despite the storms of life, the darkened clouds that may hover, the unknowns of both today and tomorrow, we as believers can have full assurance in knowing we can fully trust our Heavenly Father.

Be Encouraged…

Psalms 37:4-6 “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”

Psalms 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”

Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Psalms 112:7 “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”

Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Mark 5:36 “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”

Psalms 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not.”

Psalms 56:3-4 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Psalms 13:5 “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

Psalms 40:4 “Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

spate.holly@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: We’re reposting the Tribulation Chronicles series written a few years ago; getting the message out is more urgent than ever.

As I am beginning this series of Tribulation Chronicles, everything is going along pretty much as it always has. Life continues to slide along, spooling out — unwinding like thread pulled from a skein of yarn. People are still getting up and going to work; children are (as I write this in 2016) in the full swing of their school year, counting down the days until the Christmas break and preparing for the downhill slide of the school year. Some people are getting married and starting families; others are coming to the end of their lives. People are buying groceries, going on business trips, doing laundry, working on projects, paying bills, and simply doing the myriad of things that make up life in normal times.

However, with increasing frequency, “normal times” aren’t as “normal” as they used to be, are they? Our society is not as gentle as it once was. People are much more self-centered and callous. Children (and adults as well) are less respectful, a lot less kind than before; and our culture, indeed the entire world, is much less safe than it used to be. There is no denying this fact.

There is a palpable fear that is growing within the hearts of everyone everywhere. Regardless of where one lives, there is an indefinable “something” that permeates the very air — a sense of looming danger that is disturbing and disquieting — a sense of an impending disaster that lies just beyond what we can see. As Shakespeare once said, it is obvious to anyone who is honest that “something wicked this way comes.” Indeed, if you are honest, you too must admit that you can feel an ill wind of change headed our way.

Well, you are right; something is coming. A gathering storm is on the horizon, and when it hits, it will come suddenly; and for many who are too self-absorbed to notice, it will come unexpectedly. The repercussions that this cosmic change will leave in its wake will be cataclysmic beyond anyone’s ability to comprehend. It is those who will be in the aftermath of this “event horizon” that this series of “letters to the left behind” is meant to address.

Overall, for the time being, everything is still relatively ticking along like it always has, with the exception that the road of life on which we are traveling is a lot more bumpy and fraught with dangers both seen and unseen.

There are ominous events occurring now that are building like great thunderheads looming in the distance that are getting larger, stronger, and nearer — ever nearer. The fury of a great storm is about to be unleashed.

There is an imminent event that is going to break in upon an unprepared and largely unsuspecting world like the sudden explosion of a great caldera; an unforeseen disaster that will leave in its wake devastation on a scale unknown before; an event so unprecedented that there is no frame of reference within human history with which to compare it. When it comes, this event will, at any moment, change everything; and all that will come after this unprecedented moment will be the likes of which this world has never experienced before, or ever will again.

A change is coming all right, and for those of you reading these chronicles on this side of this event, take these words as a warning; for time and life as you have always known it is about to run out. This coming event can and will happen in an instant of time too small to be measured or quantified.

To those who will not heed the numerous warnings that have been literally shouted in every venue available by those of us who will have left this earth in this coming event; to those of you who didn’t listen to your family, your friends, or others like me who tried to tell you — to prepare you — those of us who pleaded with you, witnessed to you, endured your scoffing and anger when we tried to warn you; we who prayed and agonized before the throne of God on your behalf; it is to you, who will be the “left behind ones,” that this series of messages is written.

You wouldn’t listen before, but after the event has taken place, everything will change; and then, perhaps, you will at last be motivated to hear what the missing ones have to say. So I am going to write to you from the perspective of where you (will) find yourself post-event. In essence, these letters come to you as a series of messages from those of us who are now (will be) among the earth’s missing ones.

So, without delay, let me tell you now precisely what has (will have) happened. I will tell you where we have gone, who is among “the missing,” why we have been taken, and why you were not.

I will also leave for you in this series of chronicles a detailed accounting of what is coming in your very near future. What you do with the information that I and others like me will have left you will likely impact your personal safety. But much more importantly, what you choose to do with the information we will have left for you will determine the eternal destiny of your immortal soul.

As you may have guessed by now, this “event” that I am referring to is none other than the rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ — the “catching away” of every genuine believer (along with all babies, young children, and the mentally infirm or handicapped) who by faith alone, placed his/her trust in the atoning death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ–God the Son. This is the very same Jesus who came to Earth in human form in order to pay in full the sin debt owed by every single human being alive — all who are cursed by sin.

This entire world system — this entire global sphere — is slated for destruction because the wrath and vengeance of Almighty God is about to commence upon this wicked, vile, sin-loving, debauched, Christ-rejecting world. He is going to judge, in perfect righteousness, the inhabitants. He is about to exact justice on rebellious man and to restore to its intended perfection His creation which sin has utterly corrupted. Life as you have always known it will NEVER return. You need to understand and accept this truth right from the start.

That’s the bad news. You need to know this and accept it for the absolute reality that it is. Wishing it were not so, denying the reality of it, or ignoring the truth of it will not change the things that are coming, not one iota. It was your own refusal to accept the gift of God’s so great salvation which would have spared you this time of judgment. Your pride is why you now find yourself left behind here to have to endure this time of coming darkness and woe.

But do not be dismayed. There is yet HOPE. The Lord who is “rich in mercy” is still willing to save “all who will come to Him by faith.”

Even in the midst of the horrendous, oncoming judgments that God is about to mete out, He is willing, for a time, to extend His mercy and His saving grace, because God is love and He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

You made a tragic choice by refusing His great salvation during the Church Age — the Age of Grace (the time when God was calling out of the world a people unto Himself — those whom He called His body and the bride of Christ). That “age” or era closed when the Church of Jesus Christ was raptured — snatched out — of this world; when each member of the true Church (both the living and the dead “in Christ”) was changed from our mortal, sin-corrupted bodies into new, immortal, glorified bodies and taken to the “Father’s House” in Heaven via this event the Bible calls the rapture (catching away) of the Church.

I will go into more detail regarding the rapture event in the next letter so that you will clearly know and understand the truth of what has happened. For as you will see, Satan, the Father of Lies, the “god” of this world system, has already prepared a LIE that is so audacious, so convincing, that only those who turn to Christ for salvation will not be taken in by it.

Once the Tribulation begins, the world will only have seven more years left under this fallen Luciferian system. These last seven years will be the most horrific, most devastating, most cataclysmic, most dark and violent time this world will have ever known in all of human history. Seven years — that’s it before King Jesus returns in righteousness to renovate and restore “Paradise Lost.”

Let me end this letter today with the most important thing – the only thing that now matters – that is the salvation of your immortal soul. For you see, the sobering truth is this: you will almost certainly lose your life during this final seven years. That is just the plain, unvarnished truth; and if you should die lost, continuing to reject God’s offer of salvation, then you will spend eternity in a literal, burning place known as the Lake of Fire. I cannot be any clearer or more truthful than that.

The reality is this: very few of the possibly five to six billion souls left here after the rapture will live to the end of this seven-year time of the Tribulation — very few. In fact, Jesus Himself said that if He did not return to bring a halt to this time (if He allowed it to run its course unimpeded), that no flesh (no living creature, including man) would be spared. This is how devastatingly horrific these last seven years will be.

So before we go any further in this series of messages to the left behind, let me make sure that you know how to come to salvation. Your physical life will likely end during this time; however, your soul is immortal. And you (the conscious, sentient core of you) will exist in complete consciousness in an immortal body forever — either in Heaven in a new glorified, immortal body or in Hell in an immortal body that can never die but can and will suffer agonal torment forever. Your final destination all depends on the choice you make right now.

None of us is guaranteed that we will live even the next five minutes. We are all merely one last heartbeat and one final breath away from eternity at any given moment. So please, if you are reading this missive and millions upon millions (perhaps billions) of people worldwide have instantly disappeared without a trace, then you have already made one tremendously poor choice. Please do not make another by refusing God’s offer of salvation again.

How to be Saved

(1) Why you need a Savior

You need a Savior because you are a sinner. “There is NONE righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

“For the wages [penalty] of sin is [eternal] death, but the gift of God is [eternal] life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

You see, we are not sinners because we commit sins; we commit sins because we are sinners. It’s what we are intrinsically. We are born sinners under the curse of sin; and as such, we need a Savior.

(2) What you must do to be saved

You must believe (place your faith and complete trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

You must believe that Jesus Christ is God who came to Earth wrapped in human flesh and that His death paid in full the wages (penalty) for all of mankind’s sins. You must believe in His sinless life, in His atoning death, in His burial and in His bodily resurrection from the tomb, according to the scriptures. This is the only gospel that saves: Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I (the apostle Paul) also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Please keep reading the chronicles, as in them I will give you details of all that is soon to be coming upon the earth. Take these messages to heart because post-rapture, once a “covenant” between Israel and “the many” is confirmed by a coming, charismatic world leader, then there will be only seven years left, and you are not guaranteed that you will live even the next seven minutes.

Until next time…