The Faithfulness of God

Philippians 1:6 says this: Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

This is a promise that we can take to the bank. It also shows God’s faithfulness to us. Now let’s talk for a moment.

Here it is, 2012 and we could say that we’re in a recession if not depression. I believe this is a test from God to see if we’re going to look to ourselves, our respective president, or to see if God will get us out of the situation we’re in (whether it be for a legitimate reason or not). One thing needs to ring out loud & clear: He wants us to try Him so He can show us His faithfulness. He’s done it with many people in the Bible and I’ll give you a few examples to get you going:

1. God showed Daniel His faithfulness by shutting the mouths of the lions.
2. God showed the three Hebrew boys His faithfulness by walking in the fire with them.
3. God showed the children of Israel His faithfulness when they crossed over the Red Sea.

OK, I think you get it. He will prove His faithfulness to us if we’re in Him and we allow Him to do His work in us. Now many of us are hurt in all areas of life due to the economy, or going through some setbacks, some trials/adversities (financial hardships, physical issues, etc.) and the list goes on. Regardless of how we got in our respective predicament, God wants to demonstrate His faithfulness to us and He wants us to prove our faithfulness to Him in these hard places (not just to get you out and you continue to live like YOU want to). Faithfulness to God always brings promotion (now that could be while we’re still alive or in life eternal).

There may be a few who might question God as to why it’s taking so long to be at the place where WE think we ought to be. Well, think about this: Paul was a tent-maker (that was his profession and where he received his income), but he also held down a ministry. God still provided for Paul and demonstrated His faithfulness to him during his life. I said that to say that for some of you, this might be the path God is taking you on.

Now for some of us, we may be on a course in life, and God may have to divert your plan in life for His plan and purpose for your life. Be faithful to His plan, because there’s a blessing waiting ahead for you because He is faithful.

For some, we may have done foolish things to cause us to be in a pit, drowning in our own sin (self-induced, you might say). If you come to yourself, and return to His love, a blessing is waiting for you because He is faithful.

And for some, we may have to go through a nightmare (financially, loss of a loved one, the devil terrorizing your life, and the list goes on), continue to bless the name of the Lord, because there’s a double blessing waiting for you, knowing in your heart and soul that your Redeemer lives and He is faithful.

Don’t fret, rejoice and continue to demonstrate your faithfulness to Him because He IS good and He is faithful to every promise He made. I can tell you straight up, that my, my, my God is faithful.

In closing: remember that He who started the work in you will be faithful to complete it in you.

What The Future Holds (Part 2)

I’m reading off & on a book called Unfair Advantage (released at the end of March 2011), and it brought up some very good points:

This is what’s happening in 2011:

1. Kids still go to school, learning nothing about money
2. Kids still come out of school looking for a job, anxious to get married, buy a home, and raise a family
3. The national debt is out of control, and foreclosures take homes from millions of homeowners
4. Our wealth is being robbed via higher taxes to pay for this debt, debt that goes to the rich
5. Kids who find jobs are only too happy to have taxes taken from their paychecks before they get paid
6. Kids are only too happy to have money deducted from their paychecks with the illusion they’re investing for their retirement
7. Legislation is now being passed making it legal to take a larger percentage of your wealth when you die.

He continues with these facts: This is why we’ve seen a second tea party in America.

This is what’s happened in 2010:

1. A new tea party movement protested America’s taxation of Americans.
2. The British government announced that 500,000 government workers will lose their jobs. Those on welfare will see their benefits cut.
3. There were riots in the streets of Paris as the French protested against increasing the retirement age from 60-62
4. Japan, a nation with a great education system that produces hard working people who save a large percentage of their money, is the biggest debtor nation of the world with their debt at 200% of GDP (gross domestic product)
5. China & Russia, once our mortal enemies, traded not in US dollars, but in their respective currencies (the yuan and the ruble).

This is no different than a banker refusing to lend money to a person with a poor credit score. What does this all mean? It means the party’s over and the sleigh ride has stopped. It’s also horrible news if you’re someone who wants the government to take care of you (if you’re living that way, you are the problem). If you’re expecting the government to solve your problems, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM! The problem is that the governments of the world are broke. Now there’s nothing wrong with having socialist ideas, we need people who care about others. But when you believe in a “free lunch,” that now becomes greed! There are greedy people on both sides of the spectrum. Always remember, a wise person focuses does more with less therefore bringing products at better prices (from an environmental perspective, prices come down as productivity goes up).

Now there are some people who are so focused on their political agenda, playing the race card to get their way, even at the cost of their spiritual life. Not to worry, if you’re focused on anything but God, remember that you can’t serve two masters. So, if you want to continue to focus on anything but God, your wish will be granted but it will cost you your spiritual life in the end. Another problem that occurs in the church world is we have a habit of linking political leaders to the devil (when they really are commissioned by God) or saying they are chosen by God (when they’re doing everything wrong). I say to that, we need to pray regardless of who’s in office (not our will for once, but for God’s Kingdom to be done). My greatest concern is that some people see what they want to see because their flesh, not their spirit, wants to be satisfied. We need to pray for the truth to be revealed across this land. It’s a tragedy when you’re so rooted into a Presidency that it takes over your spiritual beliefs. We need to pray for the office, irrespective of who’s in it.

I want to encourage you to not lose sight of what’s to come in the future. Now is not the time to rest because your death or the day of the Lord hasn’t arrived yet. We will face adversity, let it come. We need to stop rebuking adversity. There’s a saying: gold without fire can’t become pure gold. The problem is we don’t want to go through the hard place. We want our way now, like Burger King. My editor has told me at times (and I’m thankful for that), to go through my hard places, because they will make me stronger. Now I truly see it being a writer, some good writing can come from the hard place. While we are here on earth, the righteous might be stomped on like a roach (and never get the justice they rightfully deserve), but God said the righteous will never be forsaken. This may not happen while you’re here on earth, you will go through hell at times, but God will give you peace when your spirit is with Him. Be on your guard at all times, because there will be no peace until Jesus cracks the sky. Read any one of these passages: Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21. As I think about it even further, within those passages, you’ll find where it says (and I’m paraphrasing): no man will know when the Lord will return. There’s a looney toon out there who first said May 21, now he’s saying October 21. Here’s the travesty, many people will believe him and the looney toon will make a profit. This is what you call “fleecing the flock.” Anyway, keep your eyes set on the heavenly call and you won’t go wrong!