Preparing for the Dark Side

If you ever watched any of the Star Wars Trilogy, you have been introduced to the villain, Darth Vader and his master of the Darkside….it’s enough to give you chills and for the squeamish at heart, nightmares.

The same was true for the prophet, Daniel, as the Lord of Hosts revealed to him the coming of the end of the age, the Antichrist and the horrors of the time of Tribulation. Yes, Daniel had a strong faith in God, but he was ill-prepared for the dark visions of the future that God gave him. In fact, scripture tells us that he temporarily lost heart.

“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body and the visions of my head troubled me…I fainted and was sick for days…I was mourning three full weeks and ate no pleasant food; no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all….I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.” Daniel 7:15, 28; 8:27; 10:2-3, 8 & 15-16.

The visions caused Daniel great heartache; unfortunately, there was no way around this calling of God but to suffer through the anguish caused by the visions. Fortunately, Daniel was buoyed in his faith by the testimony of his three friends that defied King Nebuchadnezzar’s decree to bow down to an idol…their defiance and the Lord’s protection of them surely encouraged him in some of his darkest hours. Daniel, too, was soon tested regarding his willingness to serve and worship the one true God…and he passed with flying colors due to his love of Jehovah and his desire to be found faithful in his service and worship.

According to God’s Holy Word, there is coming a time when we, as his followers, will be challenged to make our allegiance to God known. We may be pressured into bowing to a political correctness, multiculturalism or to denying a testimony to the validity of our faith. We must not allow ourselves to be pushed off course….We must stand for Jesus and continue to be relevant in sharing our faith….yes,

BAD TIMES ARE COMING...SO WE MUST KEEP OUR HEART IN OUR FAITH!

This is a great rallying cry for these days of financial hardships, economic and political persecution and uncertainty. We must not give up or embrace helplessness; rather now is the time to go about our business with the confidence of knowing how the future will unfold…OUR GOD IS IN CONTROL…. AND THERE IS NOTHING, NOBODY AND NO WAY THAT WE CAN BE PLUCKED FROM OUR SAVIOR’S HAND…..

Though the world may come crashing down around us that in no way alters our basic duty, changes our allegiance nor disturbs our ultimate security…we know the truth and his name is Jesus.

We know who we are and to whom we belong. We are God’s people, living under His marvelous grace and assured that no matter what happens on this dark side of heaven, we are safe and secure in the Master’s strong and dependable hands.

We are forever His and those who believe in Him will…..

KEEP OUR HEAD IN THE GAME

KEEP OUR HOUSE IN ORDER

KEEP OUR HEART IN OUR FAITH …and most importantly,

KEEP OUR HOPE IN GOD.


Keeping on…KEEPING ON,

WPQ


PS....I will be out of town for the next week so if you have a few moments, rummage through the older posts and see if there's one that God has earmarked for you to read....BE BLESSED!