December 1, 2009
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).
Very soon events will take place in our world that will cause every one of us to fear. If we have prepared a safe place in God, if we know we are in Christ and that he is in us, then we will be able to find peace in the midst of chaos and fear. In this article I would like to share some things I see at the doorstep of our nation and make some suggestions on how to find a safe place in God
Do you have a secret place in God? Do you know where to go in Christ to feel safe and secure when the going gets rough? If you have been suffering through trials and tribulations in the past few months or years, you have probably been learning how to find this place in God. It is something that no one else can find for you. It is worked through as we endure trials and draw close to the Lord in the midst of the trial. It's kind of like having oil in your lamp. You can put oil in your own lamp, but you can't give your oil to anyone else. It is non-transferable because it involves a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that is something you cannot give to anyone even if you wanted to. (Please click on title to read more.)
I was recently in a situation where I needed to draw upon the Lord's strength through faith in Jesus Christ. I was able to close my eyes and go over and over in my mind several passages of scripture I have memorized. Some were quite short, like "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Or "I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me." There were several others I was reciting in my mind over and over again. I was so glad I had those verses within me. One of my favorites is, "He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or think according to his power that works in us." Think of it, his power is in us ready to do whatever needs to be done!
Whatever your need is, there will be many scriptures you can apply to that need. If you have a health problem, you can go online and google "healing scriptures" and many websites will come up with all kinds of scriptures for that need. Or go to a concordance and look up various words and see where in your Bible you can find what applies to your situation. God has given us so many tools to help us in our quest to know him more and walk in the victory he has for his people! We must use these tools while we still have them available to us. The enemy of our souls is quickly taking away our freedoms and very soon persecution against Christians will be severe. We must work while it is still day, as Jesus said, because "the night cometh when no man can work."
After Jesus said this he added, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:5). The light of Jesus has been in America since its inception but people have chosen to ignore that light and are even now trying to extinguish it. I am going to put this scripture alongside a passage from 2 Thessalonians 2 where Paul has been telling Christians what it will be like just before Jesus comes again.
He tells them that there will be a great falling away from truth. Has this not been evident in America for the past several years and greatly accelerating since our new president took office? Our Constitution was written by men who believed in God and its contents are based in biblical truth. Soon we will see the United Nations supersede our Constitution via treaties that will abolish the freedom and prosperity we have enjoyed as American citizens. Few people realize that the freedom we have had has been because of the light of Christ that has been in our nation allowed by the foundation laid down by the founders of this nation and by the strength of Christianity that has flourished here. Only a moral people can be a free people. Our morality is obviously gone and what we will soon face will be anything but freedom. Every day more and more laws are passed that strip away our freedom.
Christianity is no longer flourishing. The Church has just as much sin as the world. I was talking recently to a Christian woman who was just back from a trip to Islamic nations where she was encouraging Christian women there. I asked her why any American woman would choose to become a Muslim when women are so oppressed by that religion. She unhesitatingly replied, "Because they want holiness. They want structure and rules to follow so they can deal with the guilt they feel. American Christianity has not offered this to them."
Then she told an account where a Christian man and a Muslim man were meeting together in the same house. The Muslim man went into another room and knelt down on his prayer rug to worship Allah. The Christian man, not realizing why his friend had left the room, accidently walked in on him as he was praying. He apologized for walking in on his friend in prayer. The Muslim man said, "Oh! that is quite alright. We Muslims pray in public but we have sex in secret. You Christians have sex in public and pray in…do you actually pray?"
The only impression many people in the world have of Christianity is through what they have seen in Hollywood movies and television shows that go all over the world. To be born in a Muslim country is to be born into the Muslim religion. They do not understand that Christianity is a choice we make and just because we are Americans does not mean we are Christians. It is no wonder they call us "The Great Satan" when you consider what they see through out entertainment media. It is difficult to find a movie without immorality or killing in it.
Getting back to that passage in 2 Thessalonians…I have been commenting on the great falling away. Next we read, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first…" Then the scripture says that the man of sin will be revealed who exalts himself above all that is called God. He even sits in the temple of God as though he were God.
Many believe this man of sin to be referring to the spirit of Antichrist. That spirit is here. It is ruling in the highest places on earth and it rules in the hearts of many people. We are the temple. We don't have to wait for a temple to be built in Jerusalem for this to take place. It is happening right now! The Antichrist is ruling and he is quickly coming against Christians.
The next verses in this passage state, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thes. 2:7,8).
What this is saying is that the Holy Spirit has been restraining this antichrist spirit, but that he (the Holy Spirit) will be taken away. This is happening right now. The Holy Spirit has already backed away from our nation and his restraining power is no longer with us. Soon we will experience the full force of persecution. Suddenly those Bibles that sat gathering dust on the coffee table or the night stand will become very precious. People will be kicking themselves (weeping and gnashing their teeth?) because they had not taken advantage of their freedom to study their Bibles and pursue Christian values and a relationship with Christ.
Could this provide the seeds for a great revival? I think it will. Persecution strengthens the church and draws unbelievers to it. We will have revival, but we will also suffer. Better to suffer now and spend eternity with Christ in heaven than to have prosperity and freedom now and spend eternity in hell.
More about the Secret Place of the Most High will be posted two weeks from now.