11-13-2022 Devotion: Ready

 1 Thessalonians 5: 2: "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." The Lord Jesus does not come to the church like a thief in the night. The true church is looking for and waiting for the Lord to come. You don’t wait for a thief and look for him and leave a note for him on the back door when you leave your house—“I left the back door open for you, Mr. Thief, and you’ll find the cash in the third drawer to the right in the dining room.” I don’t imagine you have ever left such a note. The chances are that you check everything before you leave the house, making sure that your home is locked and secure. You want to keep the thief out. So the Lord Jesus does not come as a thief to the church. However, the Lord Jesus Christ does come like a thief to the world after the church has been raptured. As I have said, the Day of the Lord will come suddenly to the earth, and it will begin with the night of the Great Tribulation Period; then finally Christ will come personally to this earth and that is called the Second Coming of Christ.

The Day of the Lord will come suddenly. Be ready.

11-12-2022 Devotion: Listening

 Mark 13: 32 reads: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Jesus was conscious of His unique relationship to the Father as the eternal Son, yet there was a limitation of His knowledge during His incarnation in human flesh. What the Father had not revealed to Him about the future He did not know. In that sense the man Jesus (the Son with regard to His human nature) was not omniscient (All knowing). When He became a man, He limited Himself in order to be made like us. He was not omnipresent when He became man. When Jesus became human and came to Earth, he gave up the right to use his divine abilities for his own purposes. Because Jesus submitted to the Father in everything, he also left the matter of the timing of his return to the Father. People today who claim to know the day of Jesus’ return are claiming to know more than Jesus did; they are false prophets. When I consider this verse, two things strike me. First, the Lord Jesus Christ was willing to limit Himself for His Elect chosen by the Father. Second, no one on earth knows the time of the Rapture or Second Coming. Our response must be to live each day as if it was your last. Keep heaven before you and be listening for the shout!

11-11-2022 Devotion: Twinkling

 1 Corinthians 15: 52 states: "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." We shall all be changed “in the twinkling of an eye.” How long is that? Is a twinkle when the lid goes down or when it comes up, or is it both of them? Well, it simply means in a moment, in a fraction of a second. There won’t even be time to say, “Here He comes” or “He is here!” There will not be time to repent. You will either be ready or you won't.  “At the last trump.” What does that mean? That is His last call. The trumpet is His voice. John tells us in the Book of Revelation, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” and when he turned to see who was speaking, he saw Christ. So “at the last trump” is the voice of the Lord Jesus. On His last call to mankind, He will call the dead back to life. He said, “…Lazarus, come forth”. Someday He will say to me, “Barry, come forth.” And He will also call you by name. Will you be ready? Do you know someone who isn't ready? What should you do about it? Do you care about their soul? The "moment" can happen at any moment. Listen for the trumpet because it is the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

11-10-2022 Devotion: More Rapture

 We continue looking at the Rapture. Revelation 3: 10 reads: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." The promise to keep the church from the hour of temptation is a reference to the Rapture. Christ’s description—an event still to come in the  future that for a short time will severely test the entireworld—must refer to the time of tribulation, the 7-year period before Christ’s earthly kingdom is consummated, featuring the unleashing of divine wrath in judgments expressed as seals, trumpets, and bowls.  Thank God, we are to be removed from the world (see 1 Thess. 4:13–18), which is our comfort and hope. Such is the patient waiting of the church “… who through faith and patience inherit the promises." The church is not anticipating the Great Tribulation with all of its judgment, but rather it is looking for Him to come. “The hour of temptation” is definitely a reference to the Great Tribulation—it’s worldwide. This is one reason we need to evangelize the lost now. Time is running short. If you care about someone, you should show it. I still recall in 1974 sitting in the library at Old Dominion University studying a law case when my friend who had been witnessing to me burst into the library and looked at me and with a loud voice said, "If you die tonight, are you going to heaven or hell?" My friend didn't care about anyone else in the library, he only cared about my soul. Who do you care about?

11-9-2022 Devotion: Rapture

 We are going to spend a few days looking at Scriptures on the Rapture. The Rapture is an event when Christ shall come back to earth and take the church out before the Great Tribulation. Just like the word "Trinity" is not specifically used in the Bible, "rapture" is not used either. However, in both cases, there is substantial Biblical proof of both. 1 Thessalonians 4: 17 reads: "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." The Greek word translated as “caught up” is the Greek harpazō, which means“to grasp hastily, snatch up, to lift, transport, or rapture.” It is going to be a very orderly procedure. The following is the order: (1) The dead will rise first. Here comes Stephen out of the grave. It may be that he will lead the procession since he was the first martyr. (2) Then there will be the apostles and all those millions who have laid down their lives for Jesus. They will just keep coming from right down through the centuries. (3) Finally, if we are alive at that time, we will bring up the rear of the parade. We will be way down at the tail end of it. Most of the church will have already gone in through the pathway of death. The point to know is that nothing remains to be done before the Rapture of the church. It could happen as you are reading this devotion, tomorrow or some time next year. Things are getting so bad, that it can't be much longer. Make sure you are ready to go meet the Lord Jesus Christ.

11-8-2022 Devotion: Praying in the Spirit

 Jude 1: 20-21: "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Praying in the Holy Spirit means that we pray by means of the Holy Spirit; we are dependent upon Him. Paul wrote in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” You and I actually do not know how to pray. We are like little children. When I took my children to the store when they were little, they wanted everything they saw. They asked for things that they shouldn’t even have because they would not be good for them. I thought to myself, that is how we pray. "Gimme gimme gimmie, my name is Jimmy."  That’s just the way we pray. We are like little children: “Lord, I want this—Lord, give me that.” God doesn’t always give us what we want. Why doesn’t He? Because when we pray like that, we are not praying in the Spirit. We need to learn to let the Holy Spirit make intercession for us. Years ago someone gave me a little cross on which was printed a definition of prayer: “Prayer is the Holy Spirit speaking in the believer, through Christ, to the Father.” That is a very good definition of prayer. When you go before the Lord in prayer, spend time being silent. Have your Bible with you. Read and meditate on the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will direct your prayers. That is praying in the Spirit. 

NOTE: Praying in the Spirit is not speaking in a made up language that is a gibberish, pretend language. I know it would be easier to just say "re-tie my bow tie" or "get a honda," over and over, but that is foolishness. Don't be deceived.

11-7-2022 Devotion: In Dwelt

 Ezekiel 36: 27: "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." This is what Joel meant in his prophecy; there is a day coming when God will pour out His Holy Spirit on all flesh, not just some. This would include the Jews and the Gentiles. The Spirit fell upon very few on the Day of Pentecost. Some thought they were drunk with alcohol. They weren't. They were completely under the control of the Spirit and many came to the Lord because of the Word preached and their testimony. The Spirit has come upon a few, and today God is calling out a people for His name. The instant you turn to Christ in repentance and faith, you are a new creature in Christ Jesus; you are in dwelt and baptized by the Holy Spirit; you are put in the body of believers. “In that day,” God says, “I’ll put My Spirit within you.” Salvation is a supernatural act. God draws you by His grace and gives you a new heart. He writes His laws on your inward parts. You want to serve Him the rest of your life. This is far more than making a decision for Christ, making a profession of faith, or joining a church. This is a real event with supernatural causes and consequences. Do you know what I am talking about?