TRUST IN THE LORD

The Association of the Covenant People, Burnaby, B.C. Canada

"Thy Kingdom Come" - December 2012

　

CHOOSE TO TRUST GOD

by Holly Mills

"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven ... And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; " (Luke 21: 11 and 25)

The whole world appears to be in upheaval right now. It is rare to find anyone who is in total peace. There is so much bad news that inevitably something ends up affecting everyone. Whether it is finances, health, violence, taxes, world events, government, etc. everyone is affected to some degree. I was planning to write an article on child bullying, especially cyber bullying, as this is leading to many young people committing suicide, but two recent events have happened that changed my mind.

The first event was the fierce "Frankenstorm" Hurricane Sandy which descended upon the US northeastern states and then to a lesser degree into the eastern Canada provinces. According to Weather.com, this storm brought together 5 weather events:

* A Northbound hurricane

* A winter storm front

* A blast of Arctic air coming from the North

* High tides that will worsen flooding

* A Combination of high winds and heavy snow

The storm left behind an extreme amount of devastation. It was a storm that many will have never seen or will see again in their lifetimes. Few were prepared for what came and few will be prepared for whatever else will come. I mean spiritually as well as physically prepared.

The second event is the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that we experienced in November in the Queen Charlotte Islands, (now known as Haida Gwaii) which are just north of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This was followed by many aftershocks including a 6.3. This 7.7 earthquake is Canada's strongest in more than 60 years. Luckily, as of this writing, there have been no deaths or extreme damage reported, likely due to its remote location. One earthquake expert did say though that this would have been devastating if it had happened nearer one of the large populated cities. Since then, another 6.3 earth

quake occurred off the coast of Canada, off Vancouver Island.

As we approach the end of this age and the Lord's return, these types of events are going to happen more and more often and with more serious results. Are we ready? How are we going to handle these catastrophes when they happen? There are many physical things that we can do to prepare ourselves for disasters but the most important thing is to make ourselves spiritually ready. I believe time is short and just like the bride we should be making ourselves ready for our Lord (the Bridegroom).

The Lord loves us and has promised to protect us if we will only submit ourselves to His care. He has promised to be with us in our time of trouble if we will only call upon Him because He loves us and we have shown our love for Him by trusting Him. (Psa. 91:15)

We are living in very serious times and they will be like none we have seen before, so we will not be prepared physically, but we can be prepared spiritually. This is our weapon against the enemy and the darkness of this end time. "Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield." (Psa. 115: 11). The world does not know God and has made us Christian believers look foolish but we will soon find out the truth and who will look foolish then? We only have to wait a little while more before things spiral completely out of control. We can be sure when this happens that the Lord will protect us because He knows that in our hearts we have put our trust in Him. We have made ourselves ready. This is the only way!

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil" (Prov.3: 5-7).

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YES, WE HAVE VERSES IN THE BIBLE THAT HOLLY HAS QUOTED; BUT WE HAVE OTHER VERSES ALSO THAT GIVE A DIFFERENT PICTURE FOR US.

THE BIBLE IS TO BE READ FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION, AND ALL VERSES ON ANY TOPIC ARE TO BE CONSIDERED.

NOW JUST READING HEBREWS 11 WILL SHOW YOU ANOTHER PICTURE OF GOD'S PEOPLE. READING REVELATION 12 WILL AGAIN GIVE YOU ANOTHER SIDE, WELL ACTUALLY BOTH SIDES OF THE PICTURE WITH GOD'S CHILDREN - SAFETY AND DEATH.

AND OF COURSE THE BOOK OF ACTS AND THE LIFE OF PAUL SHOWS YOU THE BIG PICTURE.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING, AND WILL BE AGAIN AT THE END TIME: DURING PERSECUTION AND TRIBULATION, ESPECIALLY UPON THE CHILDREN OF GOD, SOME WILL LIVE AND FIND SAFETY, AND OTHERS WILL HAVE TO DIE FOR THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS. THE LORD WILL STRENGTHEN THOSE WHO HAVE TO DIE FOR THE FAITH. HE WILL GIVE STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO WILL HAVE TO FACE PERSECUTION AND STAND UP TO BE COUNTED, AND GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE FAITH. BE ENCOURAGED FRIENDS, IF IT IS YOU WHO MUST DIE FOR THE FAITH, YOU WILL BE IN GOOD COMPANY, THE COMPANY OF PAUL, AND PETER, AND JAMES, AND STEPHEN, AND MANY OTHERS.

Keith Hunt