Tag: End Times

In The Last Days

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Last Days, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, July 26, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Orlando, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE New Living Translation (NLT) IS FOUND IN 2 Timothy 3:1-2; 5;

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: ….. in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: Much like Paul issued a warning to his ‘son’ in the ministry, Timothy, I was reminded of the warnings given to us when a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, is approaching. Many heed the warnings, but some decide that they know better than the authorities and stay put. God felt like Paul’s warning was important to help His children after Timothy to also be on guard, and ready for the return of Christ. Since that includes all my readers, listeners and myself, I believe that it is important that we remind ourselves of this warning once again today.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: Throughout our lifetime there are numerous warnings that come our way, and most of them come with repercussions if we choose to disregard the warning. But the warnings from God seem to go unheeded, or so it seems, by many in our world today. Our Scripture refers to ‘the last days’ so we should know what that means. Paul is writing to Timothy who is ministering to many of the churches that Paul started, and Paul wants Timothy to know that in the days just before the return of Christ, this is what he could expect. Since Timothy was setting out to minister to the church, this means that he could expect church people to be acting this way. Now, after you close your jaw from the shock of what I just said, I believe that this may cause you to consider the church today, and whether the behaviors indicated by Paul in all the first 5 verses of this chapter continues. Unfortunately, the answer to that last thought is ‘yes, this behavior is still prevalent’. So, why do you suppose that Paul’s warnings, that were inspired by God Himself, are still disrupting life in the church, destroying the witness of ‘Christians’ to an unsaved world, and causing closed doors for those who honestly want to share the love of Christ? Paul helps us with that dilemma in verses 2 thru 4:, and I will quote that from the Amplified Version, since it goes a little deeper “They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.” Of course this is in addition to the clues given in the verses included above. Although I trust that everyone reading or listening, constantly seek the face of Jesus asking for deliverance from these worldly attitudes and sinful actions, I believe that there are many still bound by Satan that walk through our church doors, and/or challenge us each day in areas of our life that we find most challenging to surrender or align with the perfect will of God. But friends, be on guard and constantly aware that, unfortunately, Satan is alive and well in our world, and the Bible reminds us that he is roaming about seeking whom he may capture and devour. But I pray that for the child of God, that you will daily remind yourself that greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. There is no temptation greater than that which God can help you overcome. We are more than victors when we stand bold in the victory of Jesus Christ! Paul was afraid of Timothy walking into a den of thieves and lions. We still do that each day, but all the more reason why we need not go single handed, but instead go with Jesus by our side and His guardian angel going before us. Unless we do this, our human strength is usually unwilling and unable to overcome the evil one. If you have invited Jesus to be Lord of your life, let me encourage you to approach His throne each morning and ask Him to be Lord throughout that day – your stronghold; your deliverer; your Lord of all lords and King of all kings. Yours is the victory when you stand under the Lordship of Jesus our Lord! To the unsaved, please invite Jesus into your heart and allow Him to be Lord. You will not be able to deal with Him, if you have no relation with Him. He is a God of relationship, not of convenience or a Santa Claus to your every wish or whim.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Ours is the victory for those who place their faith and trust in the holy Son of God, Jesus Christ!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, thank You for the cross, and for the assurance of salvation given to those who surrender their lives to You as Lord and Savior. Each and every day we walk into a world that is much like Timothy found himself in ministry. I can only imagine how Your heart aches for us, much like Paul, especially if we enter our day on our own and with no concern for allowing You to be our guide and our stay. Lord, for those who try to do life without You, may they be reminded of reasons to do otherwise through this devotional today. For those who claim You as Lord, may each one be reminded of seeking Your guidance, protection and comfort each day while seeking Your strength to witness to and encourage at least one lost soul that day. Please Lord, may we be conscious of whose we are and may we always represent You perfectly each day so that You may continue to touch souls much like You did with me. Be glorified through us today oh Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home near by your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Warnings Apply Right Up To The End of Time

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, End Times, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Warning, Warning Signs, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-05-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 10:6-11
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 6 Now, all of this is an example for us, to warn us not to desire evil things, as they did, 7 nor to worship idols, as some of them did. As the scripture says, “The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.” 8 We must not be guilty of sexual immorality, as some of them were—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead. 9 We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did—and they were killed by snakes. 10 We must not complain, as some of them did—and they were destroyed by the Angel of Death.
11 All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.

APPLICATION: I pray that today your eyes will be opened to a few things:
1. That the Bible is so alive and applicable to us, even in these current days;
2. That we should try to apply the truth of the Bible in every aspect of our current-day life;
3. Learn to thank God for His warnings, and not just feel sorry for what our ancestors went through;
4. Know that the God who dealt with the Israelites, is the same God we pray to today; the same God who provides for us today; and the same God who is still capable of disciplining or punishing us today for our stubbornness and disobedience;
5. That the same God who provided a ’Promised Land’ for the Israelites, is the same God who has promised us a new world also – Heaven!
In acknowledging that the Bible is alive and how It speak to us, let me share with you that I have read the Bible in it’s entirety a few times, and yet today as I read this Scripture, it was anew and spoke very pointedly to me as if for the very first time I was reading it. In reading the Old Testament, we could easily get the impression that it’s a storybook and, after reading the New Testament and seeing all that God did for us through His Son Jesus, we may tend to feel like there is no way that God would deal with us like He did with the Israelites. But then today’s Scripture comes into view, and we see where God wants us to know that He is still God, and that He will not tolerate sin any better in our day than He did with the Israelites. Now before you share how you feel like we don’t do the sort of things like the Israelites did, such as making idols, let me remind you that an idol is ‘an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship’, or ‘a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered’. Friends, many churches are dying and some have even closed their doors, because too many of their members have found other objects to worship, and their admiration of persons or things have taken priority in their lives. It seems to me that Covid came along to test the sincerity of the hearts of our people. It worked, in that people had an excuse not to attend church. While out of touch with God (because so many use their church service as their only time to learn about God), our people have substituted that time with other personal ‘idols’ and therefore cannot get back into the habit of attending church, at least until another tragedy or scare hits them. I know, you have probably decided by now that I am way too opinionated, but let me be the first to say that my simple purpose is to point my readers and listeners to Christ through reminding them of His Word. If you discern anything other than that, then I would ask that you forgive me if I have misled you, and I would instead suggest that you personally dig into the Word of God and seek the will of God for your life. We are reminded right at the very end of today’s Scripture that the end is near. This is a reminder that you can only seek God and His righteousness while you’re alive. God said that there will come a time when He will end the world, as we know it today. The warnings for what we must do now, is evident in God’s Word. Please let me implore you to accept these warnings and redirect your life to live as Jesus desires of you through His written instructions. For the one who does this will enjoy eternity in heaven with God and His Son, Jesus. The one who chooses not to bother with this, will unfortunately endure the punishment of Hell and its Chief – Satan, for all eternity. I believe the choice is clear, but you must decide for yourself. Now it’s up to you dear friend!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God rescued His people, the Israelites, and gave them freedom to live in a new place He had in store for them. God has offered to do the exact thing for us, if we permit Him to. Praise God for His offer of salvation!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for ministering to us today through Your servant Paul. What a true awakening and what an opportunity for us today. Lord, may each reader and/or listener make the right decision today and reaffirm their relationship with You, or come to know You as Lord for the very first time. In knowing You, may we all decide wholeheartedly to obey You and give You full control of our lives until You call us home to enjoy our long-term benefits – the likes of heaven with You for all eternity! Touch hearts today precious Lord, I pray that You will have no need for another warning directed at us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!