Seek God, not the darkness

Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Being concerned about the coming invasion of Israel, why seek the occult? Why seek the darkness and the dead for the help of the living? Is not God the God of your help? Is he not the God of the living? When we fear something should we not go to LORD our help?

Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Psa 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

You have the law and the testimony, the word of God and the stories in the Bible. If you have any truth or light in you, rely on these. Encourage yourself in the word of God, Psalms and hymns.

Isa 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

They walk past the word of life, with no hunger for it. When the need comes and they cry out for help and wisdom, they worry and are upset, crying and complaining, because they did not hunger for God's truth. They curse those in authority and they blame God for their problems.

Isa 8:22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

They see the troubles on the earth and rather than seeking God, they are driven to darkness. Dark despair, depression, false religion, and evil thoughts. Some commit suicide.

Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

We are to be with those who trust Jesus and pray to God. We are not left to our own devices, God is our help and strength. Seek comfort in the Holy Bible and God will comfort you. 

Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 

Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

Mat 7:9  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 

Mat 7:10  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

Mat 7:11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

+++

One of our past Eaglewings friends wrote poetry that was put on our Testimony page. Enjoy the poetry of Anna.

Anna's Heart

Talents

Read Matthew 25:14-30.

Mat 25:22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Our gifts and callings are given to serve God. I want to be one that the LORD says "well done" to at his coming. Three men were entrusted with talents. One was given five talents and gained five. another was given two and gained two. The unprofitable servant hid his talent with no gain when the LORD required it again; he was cast out into outer darkness, a term used for hell, with torment. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth". He was called a slothful servant. His one talent was given to the one who had ten. Our efforts do count. When we serve God, His grace is increased in us. Salvation and grace are not a free ticket to do nothing. A talent was a unit of money. The term talent has come to mean an ability given to us by God. I see it as the gifting's of God given for his service. Some receive many gifts that are to be used for the LORD's glory. Faith is required to be united with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The master left on a journey entrusting us to do his work, but he also gave us the Holy Spirit to accomplish our work. Faith comes by hearing and hearing God's word, so I assume that the one who had no increase, was not hearing the word of God by choice. He may have been one of those who professed to believe in Christ, but who never sought the gift of the Spirit, nor the desire to serve the LORD. He was fearful, a fearful person fearing life and fearing God. He was rejected. No man can please God without faith. We are to fear God and to serve him. Some who are given one talent use it abundantly and their ministry grows and grows. Some who are given many gifts, may not use them at all for the LORD. It is the LORD entrusting us to be good stewards of all that we have; money, or abilities, all come from him. May we each hear him say "well done thou good and faithful servant", at is coming.

Catching Up

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Israel's salvation has largely been put on hold until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in to the church, these are the peoples of the non Jewish nations. We are in the age of grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus. A time will come when the nations will no more come to Jesus. I believe what will follow is the Lord catching up his church to be with him. This has been called the rapture of the church. The name "rapture" is not in the Bible."Rapture" is an English noun derived from the Latin verb rapiō, with a literal meaning of "I catch up" "or "I snatch". (Wikepedia) The word was first used by a nineteenth century commentator, referring to this Bible text:

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Following this will come a time of persecution, especially towards Israel, where a great number will be killed. There will also be a time of tribulation, the wrath of God sent to the unbelieving nations. The LORD will do a work in the hearts of the Jews and they will be saved at the second coming of Christ. All the Jews who remain shall be saved at this time. At every time there has been a remnant of the Jews who were saved by faith in the promises of God and this is by faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

May we be aware of these coming events and not be caught up in the things of this world.

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.