Will America be judged soon? Focus on sharing Gospel, having faith & trusting God to get you through turmoil

Some people believe America is due for judgment quickly. Is it? I can't say for certain, but this much Ican say.

The Dow Jones had been going down substantially before a rally, as have other markets, and this could continue. America has so much debt even 3 years ago the very respected Forbes Magazine ran an article asking if America was bankrupt.. More importantly, America is morally bankrupt on a number of fronts. I won't get into what, because the key is to occupy till Jesus comes.

How do we do that? The key is not to focus on the future by worrying about it, but to focus on the present and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Remember, the Spirit lives in each believer. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He lives in you, the moment you trust Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins, calling on him by faith and asking him to do so.

The next key is to share Christ salvation with everyone. It is vital to have a good testimony. If you are harboring sin, pain, or whatever in your heart, give it to the Lord and let Him take care of it. He wants to help you like this, because he loves you. He loves all of us. It's just that that personal relationship with Him can only exist if we have Him living inside us.

When you share Jesus Christ with others, it is important to have the words to share what God has done in your life. It doesn't have to be some amazing thing. Just that you feel more peace since you've known him, or that He helped you in a certain situation, or something like that. Here is a great little video on how to do this.

Remember the Bible reveals God is the God of all comfort(2 Cor. 1:3-5), he will provide a peace that passes understanding(Phil. 4:6-7), He will supply wisdom whenever you need it(James 1:5), and many other things. He lets you build treasure in Heaven where moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves cannot break forth in steel. In other words, treasure that will never grow old, wear out, or become useless.

God is a personal God, He desires a personal relationship with each of us.

There are many other things you can share with people which will allow them to see they can follow Jesus Christ and know that He will never leave them or forsake them.

But, what about this debt, or this Shemittah some talk about?  Or the blood red moons?

First, we are to rightly divide the Word of Truth.(2 Tim.2:15) We must never expect that God will use the same thing to signal Israel than He will to signal a Gentile nation like ours, because He works specifically with His people  in ways He doesn't with others. Even regarding Israel, there is no guarantee that something will happen. It could, as some scholars believe, but it's just as possible these only fulfill Luke 21:25-26 as far as peoples' hearts failing them for fear. It doesn't have to be something as dramatic as the rapture, even - the Iran nuclear deal could be what we look back on and know was the big thing.(Also, that doesn't mean war is imminent there. Look at 1492 as an example - Jews were expelled from Spain, but communication and travel logistics means they were not likely all out for several years afterward. So, war between Iran and its allies against Israel as prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39 could still be years away.)

No, we must focus on other thigns in the United States. And, there are many signs of decay. However, the best advice it not to panic or hoard everything. It is to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all they ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.(Prov. 3:5-6) He knows what will happen and when or whether a large earthquake, volcano, etc.. His Holy Spirit will guide you. It's just important to remember not to act based on fear, but on faith. He has give us a spirit of lvoe, peace, faith, etc..

So, if after much prayer you feel led to do something like sell your stocks, too it - but don't bury it in yoru backyard and yell "the sky is falling" like Chicken Littel. Instead, recognize God's will and that His ultimate will is seeing souls saved, and go out and share Him with others.

Because, in sharing Him while having confidence that God will get you through, those who are afraid will wonder what's different about you and you can then share how that relationship with Jesus gets you through everything, just as He gets me through everything with the handicaps I have. Because our goal should be to make Him know and to love one another, for they shall know we are Christians by our love. And, if you have concerns, give them to Jesus. And, you can always go to Jesus2020.com with questions. And, you can learn how to be a spiritual leader here, too.

Where America is going as a country

It's become an epidemic, as shown by how Ferguson still ignites problems a year later, with more provocations, protesters being arrested, etc.. The violence which has marred our nation shows people have giant holes in their hearts - searching but not knowing where to fill them. It is not just a racial issue, though that is one of the big problems for people who fail to recognize we are all one race. It is a spiritual battle, as declared numerous times in this blog. It is an issue for an entire country to analyze where we came from, where we are, and where we're going.

Of course, as has been shown, our past can be summed up by saying that America has a great heritage but also many problem areas.

Those problems stem from the fact that - while America has had some very Godly people - but has also always had people who only followed certain Godly principles and not others. We insisted on honesty and justice when it came to some things but not others, for example. We refused to accept that all people were equal because we are all one race. Many other things God saw and kept giving us chances to turn from our wicked ways.

Now, it's crucial to seek His forgiveness and for Him to change us not only for the last forty years but for the last four hundred, and to unite in fervent prayer for repentance revival so god can use us to do that.

That is because our country is at a crossroads.We must turn around now.

We could find ourselves going so far down a road of violence it would seem more like a third world country if it gets bad enough. (Some would argue it is now, but I don't know, since I didn't live through the sixties. And, we've had many other very tumultuous times, especially in the South. I only know that the latest incident with the Cleveland police and someone dying in prison is one more problem which shows a need for togetherness and God's cleansing.) And, this doesn't into the horrible drought in California which has dried up at least one river and could really impact the food supply and prices.

Or, God could bring a repentance revival to us.

It is up to us. I know it may seem difficult, because there are so few of us and so many problems. However, remember that in Genesis, God told Abraham he would spare Sodom if there were even 10 righteous people in that large city. There weren't, but the point is that God is very longsuffering and has such incredible patience for us.

That patience does eventually have a limit, however.

Some people have said America's doom is sealed. I don't like to get into wild speculation or fear mongering. The message of the Gospel - God's love toward us in paying for our sins through His death and resurrection,, and our salvation by grace through faith - is the utmost concern, because this world is not our home anyway. Even secular scientists agree there are multiple dimensions because of string theory - which requires at least ten - and it wasn't "Back to the Future' but Albert Einstein who added to our three dimensions the fact time is a fourth dimension. So, it's easy to look at things and say that the spiritual realm is simply another dimension. But, the Gospel is the crucial thing, for it is by grace you are saved through faith (in Jesus Christ, calling on Him to forgive and save you from yoru sins.)

However, I do know that we have strayed so far that God is surely looking for anyone to allow themselves to be used to do great things in our country. Add to that the fact that the Lord's return for his church could be very near - though even if it is I wouldn't be dogmatic about when, we must be about the Lord's business no matter what - and one can see that time is short.

Time for what? I don't know. But, whether it is time is that short before the Lord comes for his church or simply that it is short before God totally removes His protective hand, our task is clear.

We must see that people realize what we believe isn't what makes us Christians. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes one a Christian. One believes certain things by following the Bible. However, where it is not a matter of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, while following the Bible leads to certain beliefs, we as Christians must agree to disagree and simply let God work in each situation. Paul says this to Euodias and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2-3. Their disagreement was not over doctrine, as Paul addresses this problem differently than if it were some manner of doctrine, where he says for instance in Galatians 1:8 that if anyone - or even an angel (who could be a fallen angel) - preached another Gospel let him be accursed.' No, these women were to be helped and encouraged to get along and focus on the main thing - the Gospel and not on their beliefs on other things, as long as those things didn't contradict the Word of God.

We must be committed to following the Lord with all our hearts and sharing His love everywhere we can.

At the same time, while we must be kind and considerate sharing our views and accepting others, we must stand on God's Word as absolute truth and speak that truth in love.

We must be committed to ensuring we are right with the Lord. If you have any doubt whether you have trusted Jesus Christ by faith alone to forgive you and save you from the penalty of your sins, settle it now by calling on Him to save you and make you new inside, so you can have a personal relationship with God. You're only a single, sincere prayer of repentance to Jesus Christ away from eternal life.

Will this save America? We don't know how much longer we have, it could be days or years or anywhere in between. But, as long as we are here, we must be about the Father's business, just as Jesus was. We must also work to build leaders among our young people, or be those leaders ourselves, as I've mentioned here, who can be dedicated to the Lord and change the culture to one which is still diverse yet which constantly honors Christ. Remember, before His throne will be people from all people groups everywhere. There will be many different customs, but what we follow as customs should line up with that desire to be more Christlike in our attitude toward others and toward His ways.

Let us all call on Jesus Christ to forgive us and save our land. Only He can heal. And I invite you to please read the other posts here to be encouraged by how we must unite at the cross, where Jesus has borne all of our sorrows and can restore that right, loving relationship we need with Him and will help us do so with each other, too, just like those women mentioned in Philippians 4.

Sharing the Gospel should be this easy

(Again, this is also written in part in one I do for our local youth ministry, if you wonder where you've seen a few of these paragraphs, especially the first, though it differs in areas after that. Here is a link to a radio show for some great topics about various Biblical topics.)

"What are those" is a meme where, from what yours truly learned of it recently on ESPN radio, someone points at your shoes and says (or maybe shouts?) to indicate they're not "cool." (If you're reading a blog you likely know what a meme is :-), but in case you didn't it's a saying or pictures that becomes part of Internet culture like a catch phrase, and can spread to the outside world. People say it many times for the same reason a catch phrase is repeated at random, including in one famous recent one when it was said to Michael Jordan.)

Thigns like this spread like wildfires and disappear just as fast sometimes, a sign of the rapid changes of society which I mentioned previously. However, this will only touch on the speediness of 'Net culture. (There is actually a culture of sneaker collecting, "sneakerheads" as some call them in some areas, which this is supposedly tied to, in fact. the recent attempt to sign James Harden away from Nike for an enormous sum of $200 million proves there is huge money in it.)

 It also isn't to dwell on the need for compassion for those who may be too poor to afford good shoes. However, it should be said that the original is *very* rude and in appropriate, given who was being interrupted at work. (Granted, it could have been set up, but still sends a poor message) On the lighter side, though, the idea that anyone would say it to Jordan, who can presumably afford the very best shoes and made them a major industry with his, is quite funny.)

Instead, this is meant to discuss how rapidly we should be spreading positive things, and can be - not to draw attention to oneself but to God.

Not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

People love to be noticed. This 'Net culture has allowed those who had no voice to suddenly be heard by anyone. They are sometimes very funny, but other times they are simply bizarre or downright disgusting. Too many lists of most popular videos on Youtube exist to mention just one, but the mere title implies that it is a channel for everyone.

Of course, there are those who can't figure out how to upload - yours truly included.  The Gospel can surely be proclaimed in many ways - even a vine could have 6 seconds of writing/symbols, such as the Gospel bridge, though 140 characters seems impossible - or is it?

Of course, even if an explanation is hard, John 3:16 itself would be doable putting "4" for "for," etc..

The point is that it's very simple and easy to explain the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God in flesh, as having taken the entire punishment each of us owes for our sins. Of course, the hearer should see evidence of that in the life of the one presenting it, so they can see a reason to believe. But, you don't need to worry that you don't have an amazing testimony. Actually, since it's the Holy Spirit that really works in a person to get them to come to Christ, it really only requres that you hand out a tract or give someone a Bible - or post something online.

Of course, there you still have to avoid being a negative example, as I've mentioned numerous times in this blog. However, tracts, the Internet, etc. are ways you can easily reach people without knowing them. For instance, if you leave a tract at a restaurant you should also leave a good tip.

The point is that we should never be ashamed of God's love for us. It's so sad that, with all God has done for us, that we don't share the Gospel more.

each of us may be the only Bible someone will ever read. Obviously, we have to be Christliks but also, eventually, share the Gospel in some way, even if it's just a low, "I'm very poor with words, but I want to share with you my faith and the peace God has given me in life, so you can have it, too."

 That may still feel like a huge responsibility, of course, but we are not fighting that fight alone - believers have the Fruit of the Spirit, indeed the Holy Spirit is there to be a constant Comforter, guide, helper, friend, and so much more for the believer, just as Jesus was for His disciples when he walked on the earth. And, many of our young people need that because the ones we minister to are not being reached by churches, sadly many are not hearing the Good News of the Gospel around this country. This is why I blogged this free book so young people and adults can learn to be that leader in their community, as well as their homes.

But, if we have people who are willing to just randomly shout out memes such as "What are those," then we should also be just as willing to go up to someone and begin a conversation. Even if it has to start with something silly like, "Did you know there's this guy who began a blog about God by talking about that "What are those" meme? (And if you get sidetracked, just work your way back to the Gospel as fast as you can.) hey, we're human just like the rest of humanity we do goofy stuff.

in fact, we should have the most fun of all - good clean family fun - because we are redeemed from our sin.

That Gospel is so simple. One must simply Admit they're a sinner - they come short of God's perfect glory - Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for that person's sins, the just dying for the unjust, and Call on Jesus Christ by faith to forgive them, repenting of their sins and choosing to invite Jesus into their hearts to make them new inside. "For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, all things are become new."(2 Cor. 5:17) Anyone can go to an online mission place like Godlife.comGodlife.com and learn more and talk to an online missionary about that.

So, one's testimony doesn't have to be amazing - just that God has saved them from their sins and that they have a relationship with Him now, and He helps them each day through the problems of this world, giving them much more peace, love, hope, etc., than they could have imagined. Because He promises, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer - I have overcome the world.(John 16:33)