“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalms 1:1-3).

Let us consider this blessed man for a moment. His faith in God is on display; it is very apparent. He believes that God is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. How do I know that? Because this man is giving God his undivided attention.

If we narrow down his attention to the Law of Moses, we make a great mistake. This man would have been reading the Scriptures found in the first eight books of the Bible. He believed that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth; he believed his maker was God, and he wanted to know Him, worship Him, and follow Him.

I don’t see a man here who is locked away in a monastery, or living in isolation on a hill or tucked away in a cave. I see a man who has a family and loves them; I see a man who provides for his family by working hard to support them, whatever that may look like. But I see a man who loves God the Father, and places Jesus Christ in his heart as Lord.

So how does this man come to delight in the law of the Lord, and meditate on it day and night? To begin with, he has been born again; he has been given a new heart that desires to follow hard after God. His new nature wants to seek after God and please Him; he wants to honor the Father and Jesus in all things, and has been given the Holy Spirit as his abiding Helper to do those very things.

The Holy Spirit will lead this man’s mind to see two things most needful to not only follow after the Lord but to grow in grace and knowledge of Him. That is, first, last and always, prayer and reading God’s word. This blessed man, working and taking care of his family, intentionally makes time for being alone with the Father in prayer—daily!

This blessed man has a hunger and thirst to know the Father and Jesus better, and more intimately. And he is quickly led to understand there is only one way: read, study and meditate, or ponder on the very word of God: the Bible—the Scriptures. Not a book about the Bible, not commentaries on the Scriptures, which some can be very helpful, but first and foremost the Bible itself; and not just randomly, but from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.

The Lord Jesus summed it up in much fewer words than what I have written:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

This blessed man takes time to read God’s word daily with the intention of learning all of what God has written and revealed about Himself and His Son Jesus Christ. And then, while he is working, or enjoying being with his family, or lying in bed, he is pondering on the wonders of his Father’s love and grace to him and his family—and as he does this, he can’t help but share the Father and Jesus with his family, friends and co-workers.

This man is blessed because he delights himself in the law of Christ; Christ dwells in his heart by faith; he is rooted and grounded in love. This man is blessed because he is convinced of this truth:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

As he meditates on God’s word, he recognizes and refuses to walk in the counsel of the ungodly; although he loses them, he refuses to fellowship with his ungodly friends, and he walks away from those who ridicule his walk with Jesus.

This blessed man’s diligence in giving his full attention to the Lord likens him to a tree planted by a river. It’s a picture of a tree that stays healthy, green, even in times of great drought, and bears good fruit in season. And then, this blessed man is given a promise: whatever he does shall prosper.

There are many, and I’m going to call them false teachers, that lead their followers to thinking that earthly prosperity is surely a blessing from God. Earthly riches are a bait from the Devil himself to lure folks away from the true riches of what God freely offers. It makes no difference whether a man is poor, rich, or in between, the enemy likes to dangle them in front of folks, to blind them to the true wealth of God which is Christ Jesus.

Earthly prosperity is a façade; it is temporary and fleeting. Man’s life is like a vapor: he’s here today and gone tomorrow. Men sweat and toil, scheme and work all their lives to possess some of this world’s goods, only to realize that when the sun sets on their last day here on Earth, they all, rich and poor alike, will occupy a very small piece of real estate in the cemetery.

“…Whatever he does shall prosper.” The Lord promises the blessed man a prosperity that is not only rich beyond compare but is everlasting and is tucked away safely in heaven: it’s an “…inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).

The blessed man who delights in the law of the Lord does also enjoy a heavenly prosperity while here on Earth. As he fills his mind with the word of Christ and sets his affections and hopes on Christ, he discovers a true and lasting prosperity that the world can’t give him and that the world can’t take away.

All that this world has to offer can’t compare with the love, peace and joy that fills a man who is abiding in Christ. This is heaven’s blessed prosperity!

Brother Bill Oldham

bboldham@sbcglobal.net

While Franklin Graham was holding his Crusade in the U.K., I was doing my thing here in Naples, Florida. After seeing and sharing Christ with my Chiropractor, I felt spry and full of vinegar, so I headed to my favorite haunt – Walmart. Telling God to use me today, I loaded up with my two-sided “business” cards and vowed to distribute as many as I could.

The first person I encountered was a Walmart worker who was lighting up a cigarette nearby as I got out of my car. I thought to skip him, but the Spirit said no. Being obedient, I approached the man, and as I fumbled in my pocket for the cards, I began telling the man about my mission to get fellow Americans to repent. And I couldn’t help but notice the wristband he was wearing that said “Follower of Jesus Christ” written on it. Upon seeing this, I dove right into the subject and inducted him into the army of God by giving him several cards, telling him that if he liked what he saw on my website, he should distribute them to family, friends, and neighbors. “I’d be glad to,” the man replied.

Approaching the entrance, I was taken by a spiffy “Hog” Harley motorcycle that an older man was preparing to mount. “Nice motorcycle, dude!” I said as I approached.

“Thanks, man,” he replied. Then I told him that God wanted him to know we were living in the end times, and he replied, “No S###, man!”

I said, “If you like what my card says about these things, I want you to help me spread the word.” (My card has a short video on how to be saved by Kelly Tyson, with musical background even.)

The man grabbed the cards and said, “I surely will.” Then I continued with my mini crusade. The Holy Spirit was full-force on me today. I found the tackle box I was looking for, only ten bucks, and as I went down the aisle, I saw two young men wearing white short-sleeve shirts and ties. They couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. Approaching them, I exclaimed, “Mormon Missionaries – right?

“Yes, sir, we are,” they said in unison.

“Well, I’m a missionary too – have been for over forty-five years. I was one before you were even thought of,” I said cheerily.

Then I followed up with, “Do you guys believe we are living in the end times?” To this, they both agreed wholeheartedly. I proceeded to give them my card, one for each of them (for fear they would be destroyed if I gave them more.) I left the results up to God, said goodbye, and continued on my way.

Making my way out of the store, I saw a young man and his girlfriend at the checkout, and God told me to talk to him. Sure enough, when I told him of my mission and commissioned him into the army of God, he gladly accepted. His girlfriend looked on in utter dismay as I gave him several cards to distribute to family, friends, and neighbors.

The final person was the crippled door greeter. I told him that this life would soon be over and that Christians would be taken out of this world, given new bodies and eternal life with God (giving him the hope he needed to make it another day).  Then I went on my way.

The following day, I went to the gym and then headed to the beach to do some more witnessing.  Iran had broken the cease-fire treaty issued by President Trump, at which a very angry Trump dropped the “F” bomb on both factions for disobeying him. He is forgetting that mankind, namely, radical Muslims, are incapable of keeping treaties. And so, the world is sitting on pins and needles while waiting for something inevitable to happen, like World War III.

In truth, although I’ve studied Bible prophecy for many years, I never dreamed the “final days” before the rapture would be fulfilled so fast. But looking back, I can see where we are the final generation in accordance with the Bible. A person only needs to do the simple math.

As I looked for people to induct into God’s army, I noticed that the ones God led me to were Christians. In that way, I was able to get more cards into the hands of many more people. I could often tell who they were because many are now wearing cross necklaces as lucky charms in these perilous times when the whole world seems to be falling apart. By doing so, they are hoping that God notices and overlooks their inadequacies to be able to escape His retribution. Not one man resisted; instead, they all agreed that we were living in the Last Days when all hell breaks loose, and willingly took the cards to give to their families, friends, and neighbors.

Despite pastors never saying a peep about God’s retribution and blithely only preaching about God’s forgiveness and love, Christians are finally waking up to the harsh reality that these are the last of the last days.

Christ Jesus said, “Go ye out into the world proclaiming the good news of the Gospel.”

Presently, Jesus is pruning some of us to go out and bear fruit, while others of us are even afraid to name the name of Christ. I even heard a pastor say that while on a flight. The passenger next to him asked what he did for a living, and he had to reluctantly admit that he was a preacher. Was it because he knew that the fellow traveler would ask the pastor to pray for him? Or was the pastor just a plain fearful man? That tells me that the pastor was lacking the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ.

Today, on the internet, I saw what was described as an apparition of Jesus Christ in the clouds over the Philippines. If this was a reality, then it would only confirm that God is pulling out all the stops in these, the final days of the Last Days, and pouring His spirit on all flesh – not so they can speak in “tongues” or slain in the spirit – but so that they will acknowledge God, spread the Gospel, and get their act together to avoid the calamity of the tribulation period by being whisked away in the rapture of the church.

YBIC

Jim Towers

You can write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me at www.dropzonedelta.com. You can also find me on my newly restructured website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com, which now features the Gospel and videos of worldwide events taking place in the present time, as well as proof of God’s existence and the reality of Biblical places, and Moses himself.