Dear Subscribers,
Greetings in the lovely name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I write with a heavy heart, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been in the news for a week. Most of us simply cannot imagine living through war. I know I can't. The devastation is real and numbing. Let's continually pray for peace, asking God to spare lives and end the violence.
As Jesus said, this Russia-Ukraine war, like all wars before Armageddon, are birth pains, or sorrows before the Great Tribulation:
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. MATTHEW 24:6-8
This blog post stems from my latest video I put out today, called 14 Signs of the End Times. Here's the link if you're interested: https://youtu.be/Ym8vWOQ9-Mg
Notice, along with wars, Jesus mentioned pestilences, like the coronavirus. We must recognize all these birth pains fulfill Jesus' prophecy. We shouldn't be surprised or shaken by these events, but instead dedicate more time to prayer for those impacted by viruses, earthquakes, and wars. As kings and priests unto God, it's our duty to intercede in prayer for the sick, afflicted, homeless, wounded, and more.
And on top of this, Jesus left us His peace. We must overcome stress, fear, and anxiety. Christ said,
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. JOHN 14:27
We've got to live a life of balance, using the burden of war to pray for others, while trusting God at the same time. God's in control. His ways are higher than our ways.
A few quotes from Brother Branham's Church Age Book came to mind that I believe will bring God's peace to your heart and mine:
Persecution and trials are a natural, normal part of the Christian life. There is only one thing you can do about them. Commit them all to God, judge not, and leave their outworking and final judgment to Him.
And...
You see, they could not figure out God's love. They thought that love meant no suffering. They thought that love meant a baby with parental care. But God said that His love was "elective" love. The proof of His love is ELECTION--that no matter what happened, His love was proven truly by the fact they were chosen unto salvation (because God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth). He may commit you to death as He did Paul. He may commit you to suffering as He did Job. That is His prerogative. He is sovereign. But it is all with a purpose. If He did not have a purpose, then He would be the author of frustration and not of peace. His purpose is that after we have suffered awhile we would be made perfect, be established, strengthened and settled. As Job said, "He puts strength in us." Job 23:6b
Lastly...
The cloudy skies and storms of life are no signs of God's disapproval. Neither are bright skies and still waters signs of His love and approval. His approval of any of us is only IN THE BELOVED. His love is elective which He had for us before the foundation of the world. Does He love us? Ah yes. But how shall we know? We shall know because He SAID SO, and manifested that He did love us for He brought us to Himself and gave us of His Spirit, placing us as sons. And how shall I prove my love to Him? By believing what He said, and by conducting myself with joy amidst the trials that He in His wisdom allows to come to pass.
Let's pray, dear friends. Fervent, effectual prayer is the most powerful weapon in the universe when God's will anoints our requests. Maybe get to church early tomorrow night to intercede. Let God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Express your burdens to God. Trust the Eternal One. He loves you, like He loves the Ukrainian believers, and the Russian believers who are against war. Conduct yourself with sobriety and joy in the fear of the LORD.
In Christian love,
~Pastor Jesse
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