Posted on

“The Hurricane Is Coming, Get Out!!”

Disaster!  Have you ever been involved in a disaster?  Maybe you have had a fire near you or even had to actually evacuate and even lost your house.  Or maybe you have been in the pathway of a tornado or hurricane.  Or maybe your house has been struck by lightning, which is what happened to our neighbours.  Whatever the disaster, it can be so devastating.  Fear can take over and even anger can come into play.

I went to a continuing education convention to do with my business.  It was a very big convention with people coming in from many different locations.  Some of our group came from Florida, Montana, and Oregon.  With all the devastating fires in Montana and Oregon, there was constant watch to make sure at any point if they needed to drop everything and rush home.  And then those that were from Florida had to change flights and head home almost immediately, not knowing for sure if they could even make it to their home before the devastation from the hurricane would hit their house.

Those that are living near the fires not only have to worry about losing their houses but they also are struggling with their health due to the smoke.  And those that are not near the fires have also suffered from the smoke.  The oxygen is so polluted that it is having effects on many.

This summer has seemed such a time for disasters with all the hurricanes and fires.  And many people can be living in fear of tomorrow.  Last week a friend packed what they could in their car with them and their parents and headed out of the danger zone.  It was taking 11 plus hours to travel a 4-hour distance.  There have been whole islands that have been destroyed with still another hurricane coming.  And then there is fire sweeping across many states destroying land and homes.

If we have not been directly affected yet by a devastating disaster we wonder what might be coming our way and if we have something to fear.  It is easy to think that everyone else is having trouble, we are fine but then are we really safe.

The question is how do you prepare for such devastating disasters.  What things are the most important?  Some may think about getting their things out.  Others just worry about themselves getting out.  While still others want to help their family and friends out too.

It makes me think of the Christian walk.  The most devastating disasters are yet to come.  And as Christians how are we preparing for it.  To me the most important things are people.  We can’t save things but we can save people.  We may not be able to save the bodies but we can save the souls.  All we need to fear is that which is “able to destroy both soul and body”.

So what can we do?  I believe that God is waiting for a people who perfectly reflect His character.  As we do this, His truth will go to the entire world.  Those that are seeking for something different will be drawn to us by the love of God because we are perfectly reflecting His character.

We cannot do this on our own.  I heard said, “’Taking up your cross’ involves cheerful submission to the trials and afflictions that God allows in the course of following Him.”  As we take up our cross it leads us toward reflecting Christ.  We will gain:

  • Victory over the temptation to sin.
  • Intimate fellowship with Christ.
  • Fulfilling God’s purpose for our life.

I also heard said, “Cross-bearing flows out of love for Christ and involves doing whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s will.”  We need to do this daily.  The question is, what does taking your cross up daily mean?

  • Cease to make independent, selfish decisions and begin to fully follow God’s will.
  • Go beyond short-term commitments to total surrender to God.
  • Instead of focusing on personal pleasures, live for God.
  • Evaluate every word and deed based on how they show God’s love.
  • Forsaking the distractions of worldly things and activities.

We have just a little time to escape from the “Hurricane, fire, etc.” of this world.  We need to be packing up all our “valuables” so that when the time comes we can escape.  The valuables are people’s character.  We can only take care of our own characters.  But if our characters are reflecting Christ we will influence others so that their characters will be ready.

Dear Father,

Help us keep our focus where it should be.  We know that Your coming is soon.  We ask You to surround us with Your love.  And as we stay close to You refine our characters so that we can be Your witnesses.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Love you all.

What experience have you had with hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, tornado’s etc.?  And how did the Lord see you through?  Share your story here.

 

Posted on

“The Fire is Coming Your Way!! Get Out!!!”

There are so many fires happening all over the Inland Northwest.  There are people who have lost their homes, others who have been evacuated but they don’t know the outcome of their homes yet, and there are still others that have stayed and are doing what they can to save their homes.

This fire danger is so real.  I know the other morning we had a short lightning and thunderstorm and I was praying!  We are so dry that one strike and a fire would start.

I remember as spring was coming in and we were getting so much rain, we were grateful.  The last three years with the fire dangers and actually having to haul water, we were thankful for the rain.  But now that we have had the longest and hottest period of time in years, we are still dry.

When I heard about some friends that were in fire danger and finally told to evacuate, it made me start to think.  They have chosen not to evacuate at this time but to prepare their house and property as much as possible to protect it.  They have just been rebuilding slowly from a few years after having a house fire caused by a wood stove.

My thoughts have started to collect in my mind what I would take with me if I had to evacuate.  There are things that are not replaceable, like family photos, the money you may have stashed away.  There is also all the important documents, like the marriage license, which I don’t even know where mine is, titles, etc.  Right now every thing is scattered here and there and it makes you start to realize how important it is to have things gathered in areas easy to grab.

Then I started to think about how this relates to our Christian walk.  I think a lot of times we get so caught up in everyday life that we forget that there is a “fire” coming and it is getting closer.  We need to be thinking about the things that are most important to save.

The one and most important thing that we can take with us when we leave this earth when Jesus comes is our character.  If we are hanging onto any worldly things our character will not be in the right place to grab and at that point, it will be too late.  Our characters need to be in the right place not scattered here and there.  We need to have a single mind toward God.

There are other things that are precious that we want to save from the “fire”.  We want to save our families.  The best way to do it is by our example.  How urgent are we?

If we were in the situation my friend is in right now would we be just sitting in our house not paying any attention to what is happening around us or would we be doing everything we could to protect our house?  Our family would feel our urgency if we worked urgently.  But if we were being lazy they would probably not feel the urgency.  The same is true of our spiritual urgency.  How urgent are we about the times in which we live?  Where is our focus?  If we want to save our families our focus needs to change from the world and its wickedness and problems to keeping our focus where it should be.  Our focus should be on Heavenly things.

Here are some things that I am working on to implement into my life.  Our life should be a life of joy, not negativity.

  1. Keep your eyes focused heavenward. There are so many things going on in this world that can discourage us if we focus on them.  We can even live in fear.  The best place to keep our focus is on heavenly things.  Let’s keep our eyes on the genuine Jesus Christ, that is the only way we are going to be ready.
  2. Remember, God, forgives. This is so amazing!  It doesn’t matter what we have done and how wicked we may have been God will forgive us.  He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place so that we can go to heaven and be with Him.
  3. Contemplate His love for you. We have already talked about His forgiveness, which is amazing.  It is good to write down all the things that He does for us that show how much He loves us.  Just the fact that we got up this morning is a miracle.  Our bodies run by Him.  He gives us the breath of life, etc.
  4. Spend time with this amazing God every day. Make sure to spend time in God’s Word each day.  Memorize scripture that can stick with you throughout the day.  And spend much time in prayer.

As we dwell upon these things and keep the right focus, people will be drawn to the love of God.  Love draws.  Fear of consequences can draw but not save.  Being drawn by love can save.

I believe that God is waiting for a people who will perfectly reflect His character (love) and then He will come to take us home.  How are we going to perfectly reflect His character as long as our focus is on the things of this world?  Whether we are doing worldly things or we are talking about the bad of this world and dwelling upon it, it leads to destruction, either of your life or the life of someone around you.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  There is nothing else we need to focus on.

Dear Father,

Help us to realize the love that You have for us.  Continue to draw us to Your love.  Forgive our stubborn hearts, the hearts that want to dwell on the things of this world.  We can tend toward sensationalism.  Something new and exciting to report about the wickedness or the happenings of this world and it becomes the topics of our life.  You need to be our topic.  As we focus on You, people will want what we have.  Forgive us for focusing on the wrong things and help us to live our lives in full connection with You.  Thank You for Your love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep your focus on Jesus and heavenly things.  Talk of heaven and what it will be like.  Talk of the love of Jesus and what He has done for you.  Then your life will be filled with joy.  And you will be preparing your “house” against the “fire” that is coming.

Love you all.

What do you do to help keep your focus heavenward?