Tag Archives: repentance

Coronavirus, The Last Days

Another Spiritual Dream ~ What Does It Mean?

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I have never put much emphasis on spiritual dreams, mostly because I never had any—until a year ago when I dreamed about the rapture of the church.1  But a few months ago, I had yet another spiritual dream. I knew instantly it was from the Lord and had meaning I should not ignore. I’m sure some will think I’m weird or ate too much Tex-Mex for dinner. Still, I feel the message is too important not to share.

 

In this dream, I was in a familiar place with no cause for alarm. My twelve-year-old granddaughter was with me in what I believed to be a safe place. However, I began to notice a questionable force moving toward me; and within seconds I knew I was in trouble. As I tried to fight off the attacker, I discovered that I had little strength. I kept saying to myself, “Why don’t I have any power? Where has my strength gone?”

 

When I saw an opportunity to run outside the building, I did. I ran as hard as I could—again questioning why I had such little strength. I finally stopped to catch my breath, looked back, and saw that the pursuer was not following me. It was in that moment when a gut-wrenching realization came to me—I had left my granddaughter behind. She was now in the presence of the attacker and I was not there to help her. At that point, I woke up with my heart pounding inside my chest.

 

There was no small stir in me, and immediately I ask the Lord what the dream meant. God was faithful to reveal its meaning. I will attempt to relate that meaning to you by addressing the different components of the dream.

 

First, the familiar place in the dream is reflective of the modern-day church as a whole, not singling out any group, church or denomination. What I thought was a safe place was actually not safe; but because it was familiar to me, I was oblivious to the danger. This speaks of where the modern-day church is in relation to our nation’s declining culture. For any of us who have lived in the 21st Century, we should clearly know by now that some organizations and institutions we once thought safe for our children, are actually not safe at all.

 

We have been tolerant of accepting the ways of the world into our own church culture. In short, we have become worldly. We have been lulled by years of complacency and trusted ourselves to hierarchical systems that tell us what we should read and believe. We no longer know how to hear from God for ourselves. We rarely, if ever, hear sin preached against from modern-day pulpits—but rather how to have the happiest life possible while on our way to heaven.

 

Secondly, my granddaughter represents the next generations—our children and grandchildren. They are right there with us. They are watching us and trusting our judgment. They believe we are doing what is in their best interest. And why shouldn’t they? The teachings and programs of the church have worked for us, why wouldn’t it work for them? The next generation has no clue whether it is safe or not, and sadly, they have not been taught to seek God for themselves.

 

As Christians, we find ourselves in this vulnerable situation because we have been asleep. We refuse to hear any doctrine except our brand. We criticized the movement of God in any group other than our own, thereby offending the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have lost our strength, and we wonder where it has gone. The culture around us has declined to a dangerous point, and because we participate in group-think mentality—we are confident that our group is okay. Of course, we know what God wants, and of course, we have correct doctrine. We refuse to look outside our religious box to see where we are and what is happening around us.

 

As current events rock our world with a pandemic, a faltering economy, protests and lawlessness flowing into our homes through our television sets, we could think this is the end-time shaking the Bible speaks about. “This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.” (Hebrews 12:27, NLT) I suspect that “all” includes modern-day churches and modern-day denominations.

 

If we believe this describes the day in which we live, perhaps it is time to pray: “God, have I been asleep? What do You want to say to me and show me during this time? What about my life is out of sync with You and Your Word? Have I been guilty of group-think and not sought You and You alone? In these unusual and critical days, give me eyes to see and ears to hear. For the sake of my children—wake me up!”

 

Rest assured, those are words our Heavenly Father longs to hear from His complacent children. But don’t take my word for it. Ask Him for yourself. Lean in closely to hear His voice. Allow the Holy Spirit to rend your heart. At that point, a good old-fashioned time of repentance might be in order. You know, that word we have dismissed as non-essential for the church—R.E.P.E.N.T.

 

God’s message is clear. A good place to begin is 2 Chronicles 7:14. That four-step pathway to God is something we all can do: humble ourselves, pray, seek, and turn. And, if the leaders of your group/church/denomination tell you that you don’t have to repent of your sins or seek God for yourself, you should probably check things out. And if you decide to run, remember to take your children with you. ~ Janie Kellogg

1“What Has Happened to the Rapture of the Church” at www.TreasureinEarthenVessels.net.

Coronavirus

The Savior and His Little Chicks ~ In Times Like These

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The term “trying times” is an understatement for the day in which we find ourselves—fighting COVID-19. For most of my life I have heard about a future time when things would be out of control and everything would be shaken. It would be unlike anything we have ever seen before, and it would be linked to the end of the world. Whether this time is any of that or not, it is at the very least, a coming storm that shakes us to the core.

Today, after nearly three weeks of sheltering in place—right here in the good ole USA, the land of the free and home of the brave—we are staying home from work, school, church, sports events, movies, vacations, trips to see grandparents, and shopping for anything except the bare essentials. It is a great trial-run for finding out what we can and can’t live without. We also know that unless things improve, there is no end in sight. Welcome to a world with the Coronavirus in full swing.

 

I will spare you the numbers of cases worldwide and in the US, the number of tests done for the virus, and sadly the number of deaths because all numbers are on the rise—every day, every hour.  Makeshift hospitals are being set up at record speeds as this period of time is being compared to a war. And a war it is. A war on humans, on our way of life, on our economy, and certainly on our faith. No one—get this—no one person on earth will escape the effects of this war. We see it and hear it on the news 24/7, and we are growing weary. Unemployment is rising with each new announcement of another company laying off thousands of employees from their jobs. That, my friend, is going to get real—really soon!

 

So, it is war. It is trying times. It is a trial. It could be the end-time shaking that the Bible tells us will come upon all the world. That’s enough to scare the daylights out of most anyone—unless you know who I know.

 

I love this old song sung by George Beverly Shea at so many Billy Graham crusades:

 

“In times like these you need a Savior, in times like these you need an anchor.

Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.

This Rock is Jesus. Yes, He’s the One. This Rock is Jesus, the only One.

Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.”1

 

Do you have Jesus as your anchor? Is your life clearly anchored in Him? in His Word? in His promises?

 

I want to share one scripture with you that is found in Matthew 23:37 ~ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”

 

Those are the words of Jesus as He stood on a hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem. He is talking about God’s people—the Jews—who had rejected all the prophets of God down through the centuries. Their religious leaders had set up a form of worship, added to the Laws of God, created a set of rules and regulations developed solely by men, and made their traditions what they worshiped. God had sent prophet after prophet to tell them of the coming judgement if they did not turn from their sin and return to Him. Message after message they chose not to hear. And if the messenger became too loud, they killed him.

 

At last, God sent His only Son, Jesus. Guess what? They didn’t want to hear Him either. They plotted against Him and killed Him too. On that day, when Jesus stood looking over Jerusalem, He fully knew what they were going to do with Him. His fate was already recorded in the Old Testament. He would be killed by God’s own chosen people. His love for them was strong, and His compassion ran deep because the Father had tried over and over to change the outcome for this city.

 

Notice the last phrase of that scripture: “But you wouldn’t let me.” And because they didn’t let Him, Jerusalem was totally destroyed in 70 AD. Today, as we see our beloved United States of America reeling in the turbulent winds of a world pandemic, we wonder if she will be able to stand. Will she make it through? Will she survive these trying times?

 

I don’t have the answers and neither do you. But this is do know. Jesus is looking out over America today and offering to gather us—His little chicks—under His wings of protection until this storm passes—if we are willing to let Him.

 

The little word “if” holds gigantic significance here. Why? Because….

It tells us—His little chicks—who gets to determine the outcome.

It tells us—His little chicks—there is hope on the horizon and a rescue is possible.

It tells us—His little chicks—that we can turn this thing around.

It tells us—His little chicks—that He will fight for us when we choose to do it His way.

 

The question to all of us is this: Are we willing? Have we heard His voice calling out to us as a nation, “America! America!” Have we heard His message? His warnings? His pleadings for us to turn around?

 

Perhaps we need to consider a few things: Has America been faithful to God, like He has been faithful to us? Have we stood for life, truth, justice, mercy, and righteousness? Are we a light to the world? Or are we continuing to ignore His pleadings while our last chance is being offered to us in the middle of these trying times?

 

Only time will tell what America is willing to do. Repentance is the key word, and it must begin with God’s own people. I don’t know about you, but I’m running towards those wings of protection and plan to crawl beneath them, hunker down and stay there as long as necessary—until this storm passes or Jesus comes for His little chicks! How about you?

 

In the next few days and weeks, we will look at repentance, what it means to be under His wings and how to get there, and enduring through tough times. Blessings to all ~ Janie

 

1Ruth Caye Jones, In Times Like These, 1943

Christian Growth

Revival ~ Will it come and when?

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Nearly all of us say that we want Revival to come. We want an outpouring of God’s Spirit on us and others. We’d like to see huge masses of lost humanity turn to God. Our nation could certainly use a sweeping move of God, resulting in a return to moral values, honesty, purity, and goodness. Who among us wouldn’t like to see our churches filled to overflowing with people hungry for God? Bring it on! But will it ever come and, if so, when?

 

Good questions that I would like the answers to. Just this morning I was seeking God for that very thing, and in His faithfulness, He spoke to my heart. Afterwards, I wasn’t so sure I really wanted to hear the answer, but I wrote it down just the same.

 

I had been thinking about what is the greatest battle in my life. I determined that it is not the struggle to climb the corporate ladder, to make great financial gain, to store up for retirement, to become a VIP (very important person), or to have a huge influence anywhere for that matter. The biggest battle in my life is overcoming self. We must remember who self is or none of this will make sense: Self is Satan’s representative in my life and yours, inherited from the fall in the Garden of Eden.

 

Please bear with me for another writing on self. It’s not that I’m obsessed with the notion of dying-to-self; but since the awareness of who self is, I have gained clearer understanding of many of the gospel writings. It has been revolutionary, to say the least.

 

Now back to the garden—I can’t help but wonder if Eve had known who the serpent was, would she have made a different choice? If she had known that she was dealing with God’s greatest enemy, disguised as a serpent (the most beautiful of God’s creation) would she have even given him the time of day?

 

What about us? What about me? How often in a day’s time do I listen to God’s greatest enemy by way of his representative inside me? Is that not high treason on my part? Does it not align me on the wrong side of things? How can I knowingly choose to fight on the opposing side of right? Or am I like Eve, I don’t know who I am talking to so I take the bait? And like Eve, if I had just known it was Satan, I might have made a different choice. Really?

 

O God, open our eyes and let us see who it is that we are listening to! Is he not clothed as an angel of light? Does he have some slick story for me about how mistreated and abused I have been, and how, if only I would listen to him, things would get better? Will I look back and think with regret “If I had only known I was listening to a deceiver!”

 

It is actually quite simple to sort out who we are listening to: If our thoughts feed or benefit self in any way, we are listening to the voice of God’s enemy! Satan’s representative is actively trying to get us to fall for selfish lies and untruths. I am quite certain that we are listening.

 

Only you and I can determine if we are going to continue to listen to God’s enemy and our enemy. If we continue to feed on thoughts that lead to accusations, resentment, unforgiveness, ugliness, hatred, and evil of any kind—WE ARE BEING TRICKED!  We have yielded our members as instruments of unrighteousness (Romans 6:13), and we have aligned ourselves on the wrong side of right. What we need most is not sympathy from our friends, understanding for those who feel our pain, or for God to fix a bunch of other folks. We need a trip to the foot of the cross for repentance while we plead for a heaping portion of God’s great mercy!

 

We are more valuable to the Kingdom of God, not when we know the answer or preach the answer or write the answer, but when we BECOME the answer. How long has it been since we have been on our knees repenting before God for yielding our members as instruments of unrighteousness and begging for God’s forgiveness; actively and purposefully forgiving others; and then if necessary, asking those we have offended for their forgiveness as well?

 

God made it very clear to me this morning: When this happens among My people, revival will come.

 

We say that we long for REVIVAL and REST. Please don’t miss the word rest here. Yet, God offers it to us—if we are willing to do the hard work of repentance. But wait, God said that we don’t truly want it:

 

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength; but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15)

 

The answers to the questions: “Will revival come and when?” are clearly up to us—God’s people—not the unsaved, or the ungodly, or those sinners. I know where I’m spending the afternoon. “Oh, the cross; oh, the cross; the cross is my confession.”1

 

Thank You, Dear God, for not giving us rest until we have done what you require of us! ~ Janie Kellogg

 

1Kari Jobe, The Cross is My Confession