Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. Acts 20:19.
From the days of Adam to our own time, our great enemy has been exercising his power to oppress and destroy. He is now preparing for his last campaign against the church.
The better to disguise his real character and purposes, he has caused himself to be so represented as to excite no stronger emotion than ridicule or contempt. He is well pleased to be painted as a ludicrous or loathsome object, misshapen, half animal and half human.
If Satan was so cunning at first, what must he be now, after gaining an experience of many thousands of years? Yet God and holy angels, and all those who abide in obedience to all the Lord’s will, are wiser than he.
All who are actively engaged in the cause of God, seeking to unveil the deceptions of the evil one and to present Christ before the people, will be able to join in the testimony of Paul, in which he speaks of serving the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears and temptations….
The tempter has no power to control the will or to force the soul to sin. He may distress, but he cannot contaminate. He can cause agony, but not defilement.
Satan cannot read our thoughts, but he can see our actions, hear our words; and from his long knowledge of the human family, he can shape his temptations to take advantage of our weak points of character. And how often do we let him into the secret of how he may obtain the victory over us. Oh, that we might control our words and actions!
Satan assailed Christ with his fiercest and most subtle temptations; but he was repulsed in every conflict. Those battles were fought in our behalf; those victories make it possible for us to conquer. Christ will give strength to all who seek it.
The Faith I Live By p. 327
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Val. They are taking life support off her. She needs to breathe on her own. Marty
—-Husband had a fender bender accident in our parking lot. I went out to see the damage and tripped over something on our walkway. The ER dx is a broken ankle, a bruised knee, bruised wrist, elbow and shoulder. It’s my left ankle, everything else is right side. Can’t use either leg and do not have a wheelchair. Please pray for quick healing and release from pain…I’m allergic to all pain meds. Sylvia
—-Pray for Sadie who took sick ,yesterday and is not responding. Kay
—-Please pray for my step niece she has problem with her brain and may have to have surgery. Carolyn
—-Please pray for my husband his heart is out of sync and he will have it shocked today. Pray it will stay in sync. Debbie
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Dear Friends,
One day, Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin decided to go camping. They loaded their gear and their little dog, Trixie, into their car and headed for a campground where they often went. Arriving at the campground, they set up their tent and started a campfire. Then they sat down to relax. It was so beautiful there. They loved those majestic mountains.
Suddenly they noticed Trixie spinning around in circles and lying down on the ground with her little paws over her head. Mrs. Baldwin picked the little dog up and cuddled her. She looked her over carefully, but Trixie didn’t seem to be hurt. When she put the dog down, Trixie seemed to be ok. However, in a few minutes she again began whining and spinning and falling down. The Baldwins were very puzzled by their dog’s actions. Over and over again Trixie would act normally and then suddenly start whining and spinning and falling to the ground. Something was terribly wrong with their much loved pet.
The Baldwin’s decided to drive to the nearest town to find a veterinarian. They explained Trixie’s odd behavior to him. When he examined her, he could find nothing wrong. He told them that she was perfectly healthy. They were even more puzzled.
While driving back to the campground, the ground underneath their car suddenly began to roll like the waves of the sea. They felt like they were being shaken to pieces. Now they realized what had been wrong with Trixie. She had felt the first tiny tremors of that now very strong earthquake. It had made her feel off balance and frightened, so she had reacted in that strange way.
When the quaking stopped they returned to the campground. The whole area had changed and devastation was everywhere! Part of the mountain had split in half, and slid down covering a large portion of the campground. They drove in as far as they could and picked their way through the mess to the approximate spot where they had been just an hour or two before! Their whole campsite was buried. Many people lost their lives that day. They had had no clue of the coming destruction. It was a great tragedy. How thankful Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin were that Trixie had felt that earthquake coming.
God has given us many warnings in His Holy Word in order that we may be saved from what is coming to the world as an overwhelming surprise. He warns us that “the end of all things is at hand.” 1 Peter 4:7 He bids us to warn others of this coming destruction. We are to be watchmen, who will blow the trumpet with a certain sound to warn those around us of all that is coming upon the world.
Our Dear Saviour promises to give us what we need to do this work of warning. He says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 John wrote in his first epistle, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3 We also are to tell what our Loving Saviour has done for us. We must not keep silent.
We are warned as was Ezekiel, “Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” Eze 33:2-9 Solemn warning!
We are God’s watchmen. Our future happiness depends upon how we relate to this job of giving the last warning message. Do we hide it and keep it for ourselves, or do we spread it abroad like the sower broadcast sowing in his field. (Matt 13:3-8) We have the assurance of success if we are faithful, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Ps 126:6
Let us “sow beside all waters.” Isa 32:20 Let us share God’s last warning message, that others may be saved from the coming destruction. Let us all, someday soon, look up and say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa 25:9
Rose
Tears and Conflict