Author: donnadewolf

I am a messenger of the Lord! Speaking the Truth! There is only one who can save! Jesus the Christ!

I May Not Be Long with You

Have you ever felt a need to share something with someone? I have been feeling this need for a while now. I do not know if my days on earth are short because of sickness or if the church about to meet Jesus in the air. Maybe it is just because I have turned 61 and I do not have the excitement of life in front of me. In my spirit I feel God would have me say some things to you before I go.

I am writing this in January 2024. I was born in 1962. I can tell you there have been many changes in my lifetime. I can remember when we only had 3 channels to choose from on the television. The television in my home as a child was only black and white, no color. The television stations only stayed on part of the night. When they went off the air there would only be static on the screen. Cartoons only came on television on Saturday mornings. I can remember when they invented the handheld hair blow dryer. I wanted one so bad, but we were poor and purchasing a hair dryer was not an option for my family. I can also remember it was a simpler time. People had respect for each other. There was a belief in God. Even if you didn’t follow him, you didn’t mock him or provoke him. I remember when men were men, women were women, boys were boys, and girls were girls.

When I look around at America today, I do not recognize her. Everything that used to be called good has changed into something bad. It seems like common sense has flown out the window. Seems like the mindset of foolishness has taken hold of our nation. But I guess that is to be expected when we kick God out of our nation and out of our life. 

Sometimes I want so badly to turn back the clock and go back to a simpler time. Go back to a time when right was right and wrong was wrong. Go back to a time when morals were something of value. Go back to a time when the innocence of our children was in full force. Go back to a time when life was an excited journey that we were all willing to take.

I so desperately want to tell you that we cannot look back, nor should we want to. Take a moment to survey the horizon and see what you see. Life as we knew it is not coming back. The times have shifted and the innocence that once was is gone. The darkness is all around us and if we do not fight it will choke the very life out of us. Yet, it is all in God’s control. 

He told us repeatedly what the times of the end were going to look like. He gave us markers to look for. He gave us signs to point the way. But above all else He gave us a way to keep hope alive.

Luke 21:7-28 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” (8) And He said: Take heed that you not be deceived, For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. (9) “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” (10) Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. (11) “And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sight and great sings from heaven. (12) “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. (13) “But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. (14) “Therefore settle it in you hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; (15) For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. (16) “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. (17) “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. (18) “But not a hair of your head shall be lost. (19) “By your patience posses your souls. (20) “But when you see Jerusalem surround by armies, then know that it desolation is near. (21) “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. (22) “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (23) “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. (24) ”And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (25) “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring: (26) “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (28) “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

A couple of things I want to point out. First this is not the only description of what we will face living in the time we are living in. I will write more about that in later posts. Second the times we are living in are not as bad as what is described above, yet.

The point I really want to focus on is in verse 28. It tells us to look for these things to being to happen. To watch how events around the world and here at home are unfolding. Pay attention to what is happening. Learn to be sensitize to the Spirit. Learn to have discernment. And then look up! 

When all this mess is happening, we can wallow in our darkness allowing ourselves to become depressed. Or. We can look up. Look up! Look up! Your redemption draws near. Your savior is coming! Your Savior Is Coming!

The best hope I can give you when things begin to look dark and hopeless is that Jesus tells us we will be caught away to be with him. We will miss the worse part of this. No matter how bad it gets, we will be spared from the worst part. We will all be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye, the Bible says. Oh how much wonderful hope is that? 

Look up children of God! Look up! Get yourselves ready! Take a lesson from the parable of the ten virgins. Get yourself ready! Spend time with your Lord. You do not want him to say depart from me I never knew you! Lift up your head! Tell yourself to not be downtrodden. You have hope! You have Jesus!

If you do not know Jesus, I pray you call on Him today! Call on Him now! Please do not delay! Today can be your day to be filled with hope!

HOPE APPEARED LOST

The In Between

light in the clouds, sun rays Light pierces the clouds

Sometimes hope comes easy. Sometimes hope is hard. Sometimes hope appears lost.

Psalms 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.

Sometimes life seems hard. There are many circumstances that come at us that can make it difficult to stay hopeful. Believe me I fully understand. I have had my share of heartache and frustration just like everybody else. Sometimes I feel like I got the short end of the stick when it comes to disappointment. It seems to me that when I look around at other people they are always smiling and everything always seems to come up roses. They do not seem to have all the problems that hit me. They do not seem to have all the disappointments that bombard me. Family members are well adjusted. Their financial problems seem to be nonexistent. So believe me when I tell you I understand it is hard to stay hopeful sometimes.

Psalms 31:24 tells us to let our heart take courage. This scripture is not talking to everybody. This scripture is talking to those who hope in the Lord!

Matthew 26:47-56 47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” 55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

If we read further on or if we know our bible, we know that all the disciples fled and scattered. They forsook Jesus and ran to hide. Jesus was not surprised about this. In fact, he told Peter before hand that he would deny him. All the disciples forsook him. They all fled. These are the very people who walked with Jesus daily. They were now in the place in between.

They knew who Jesus was! They knew with all assurance that Jesus Christ was their Lord! They had walked with Him. They had talked with him. They had witnessed many miraculous signs! They were there when Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves feeding many with much left over! They were with him on the boat when he calmed the seas. They were with him when he healed the sick. They were with him when he restored the sight of the blind. They were present when he cast demons out of people. They believed he was who he said he was. They placed all their hope in him. The disciples are a lot like us.

Then suddenly all their hopes were dashed! Suddenly they looked at the situation with their own understanding, with their physical eyes and things did not seem to be going as they had planned. How many times do we do the very same thing? We think events in our life should go a certain way. How many times have you thought Jesus was going to deliver you out of a situation a certain way, but it didn’t happen the way you thought? Maybe you had to go through some things you did not want to go through.

Here all the disciples did not expect that their Lord would be taken. These events just shook their very understanding and they were in shock! What would they do now? Where would they go? Who was going to help them? Who could they turn to now? In their minds Jesus could not help them, he had just been arrested. I know I am not the only person who gets a little shaken when situations do not go as I thought they would. I am sure I am not the only person who has on occasion felt let down.

In the book of Mark we are told that in the third hour they crucified him. That is about nine am. Then Mark tells us that when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. So that is from approximately noon until three pm. So they started out shocked. Maybe they were a little confused. How could this happen? I can imagine that from nine until noon they probably expected something to happen to turn the situation around. I can imagine they felt hopeful for a few hours. Then the reality sets in around noon when the whole land gets dark, that this is really going to happen. Their hope is about to die nailed to a cross. For the next three hours they are in darkness.

When you are in darkness you are feeling hopeless. This is the in between. This is the time between hope and belief. This the time of confusion. A time of thoughts running rampant. A time of trying to figure out what to do. A time of trying to see the big picture. A time of reflection. Darkness grips you….

Then we are told that at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabachthani. Which is interpreted as My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me? To the disciples now is the time when all hope seems lost. They are blinded by darkness and all seems lost. Remember the disciples had walked with Jesus for three years and now in a matter of hours it appeared to be over. For six hours they watched their hope nailed to a tree. Imagine their shock and disbelief! His mother watched as her son hung on the cross! Imagine what she must have been thinking about while she watched her son on the cross.

Luke 1:28-33 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that are highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women. (29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. (30) And the angel said unto her, fear not, May: for thou has found favor with God. (31) and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (32) He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Can you imagine the thoughts that must have been going through Mary’s mind? He would reign for ever and his kingdom would have no end? How is that going to happen? Darkness and hopelessness. Things surely were not working out the way anybody would have expected. They were there in darkness watching their hope die. They were all in the in between place. That place where hope has died and the belief for something better. Darkness grips us and can incapacitate us. That place where all seems lost. Where it seems there is not a positive solution. Where it feels as if you are going to die from hopelessness and darkness.

Then what happens? We are told that Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on the third day. She sees that the tomb is empty. Quickly she runs to spread the latest developments. She tells everyone that the tomb is empty. She tells them they took Jesus. So basically they took the last bit of hope she had. He was gone. Now everybody runs to the tomb. They all see that the body of Jesus is gone. In a panic they all run back to the city. All except Mary Magdalene. She stays. She stays in the last place she saw Jesus. She stays where she is and Jesus revealed himself to her.

In an instant all her hope is back. For those who ran back to the city they were still living in darkness. Mary had hope. Mary had seen Jesus. Her hope had been restored. What seemed impossible had happened! Christ rose from the dead and revealed himself to Mary.

We are coming into a time when we will need to hang on to all the hope we can. We all need to stay with Jesus. Do not run away. Do not allow the darkness to over take you. Christ told us what to look out for. He told us what the future would look like. He told us that all would go through things. He told us to hold on to hope. If you have walked away from Jesus because you lost your hope. I urge you to reconsider your decision. Call on Jesus. He wants to reveal himself to you in a fresh way. He wants to chase the darkness out of your circumstances and give you hope. Will you call on him today?

Jesus Christ rescuing and saving a sinner during the dark night.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

A lot of things have changed in America:

  1. Covid brought our nation to its knees! We took a sharp left and dove even deeper into a nonsense land. I read somewhere that Covid backwards is actually a Hebrew word which can be translated as “division”. I am not sure that is true, but the research I have found tells me that it is true. Division is exactly what happened. Three or four years later and we no longer look like the United States of America. In fact it does not take a long look to see that we are now the Divided States of America. There is a verse in the Bible in Matthew, 12:25: “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” When I look across the landscape of America I see a house divided! I see a fall of a Nation on the horizon. I pray that we turn this around. 
  2. Some boys are transitioning into girls and some girls are transitioning into boys. Some people are transitioning into animals. There are thirty year old men who are identifying at eight year old girls. The identity of who we are as a people both collectively and independently seems to be changing daily. In my opinion these misguided folks are trying to fill a void inside of them. They are stuffing all kinds of things into a hole that was shaped to hold the presence of the Most High God! They feel empty so they try to change their feelings by changing who they are.
  3. Police are now bad and thugs are good. States all across our Nation have decided to let killers out of prison. They are changing laws to protect the criminal and punish the law abiding. Our Supreme Courts are changing our laws. Politicians are trying to change our constitution. Our freedoms are being taken away! The very foundation of our land is being traded for a new ideology. I new enlightened way of viewing things! 

Some things have not changed:

  1. God is still God. Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. God is the same today as He was thousands of years ago. thousands of years from now, God will be the same as He is today. His message has not and will not change. He will not change His mind! He will not show favoritism and change the rules for his favorite person. He is a righteous judge and He will judge righteously. He is not changing the rules in order to pacify us humans. He remains stable and He remains the same.
  2. The truth is still the truth. What God said about how we should live. How we should do things. How we should forgive. How we will get to heaven. Is the truth! His word does not change over time. He told us the only way to the Father is through the Son. This is still the truth today. There are people who say they do not believe it. To that I say, just because you chose to not believe something does not make it untrue. God will not give special consideration to those who chose to be ignorant to God’s law. You will be judged by God’s law.
  3. Eternity is very long, Time is very short! How can that be you may say. Well let me tell you Eternity will go on and on….. But our time on earth is very short. We are just a blink in the eye of time. What we do on earth during our few years will determine how we spend our eternity. This is a very serious subject that we need to consider carefully.

Deuteronomy 7:9  “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; God has not changed. He is a faithful God. He is a covenant God. He is a merciful God. But not for everybody. Who does He keep covenant with? Who is He merciful with? Who is He faithful with? Those who love Him and keep His commandments. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. God tells us how to walk right with Him. He tells us to keep His commandments. He will not change what He wants at the last minute!  He will not wait until just before you die and then change His mind on what He expects from you. He tells you plainly to keep His commandments and He has not, nor will He change His mind.

I urge you to get right with God! This world we are spinning around on is changing right before our eyes. Now more than every we need to hold on to our savior tightly and not let go.

DON’T LIMIT GOD

Psalm 78:36-43 Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. (37) For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant. (38) But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: ye, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath. (39) But He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. (40) How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! (41) Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. (42) They remembered not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy. (43) How He had wrought His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan.

Please notice in verse 41 we are told the people had turned back and tempted God. It says they limited Him. In verse 42 we are told that they did not remember how He had helped them. Verse 43 says they did not remember the signs and wonders He had done. By not giving thought to the Lord, the people had limited God. It is not that God was incapable of helping them, it was that their actions had pushed God out of their lives. 

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Invite Him into your lives. Walk with Him daily. Remember the works that He has done both in your life and in the lives of others. We are given examples of what He has done in the past in the Bible. 

He fed the multitude and yet we cannot believe that He will fill our cupboards. We worry and fret. We try to find food in our own abilities instead of realizing that God will take care of us.

He healed the sick and yet we cannot believe that He will heal a simple headache. We do not remember that He has been taking care of us all along. We do not even know all the ways He has kept up healthy. Sadly we do not thank Him or even acknowledge Him.

Charles Finney: was a preacher who preached 98 sermons between September 10, 1830 and March 6, 1832 (a span of 6 months) in Rochester, New York. During that time shopkeepers would close their businesses, posting notices urging people to attend Finney’s meetings. Reportedly, the population of the town increased by two-thirds during the revival, but crime dropped by two-thirds over the same period.

Let us not limit God by forgetting all the wonderful things He has in the past in America. A.A. Allan, John Wesley, Smith Wigglesworth, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Catherine Kuhlman, Charles Finney: These are all men and women who believed God and they changed the world. 

They are no different from you or me. They are people just like we are, but they were willing to go and flow with God. They were willing to believe that what He did in the past He could and would do again. 

Do you want to see God move? Is there a yearning in your heart to see God move through America? Can you join with me in remembering all the wonderful things God has done in the past. Let’s remember the Lord our God. Invite Him back in our homes, in our families, in our businesses, in our schools. Let’s remember the Lord our God and watch Him move. 

A word from my son Donny

So, I’ve come through these walls numerous times before. I’ve seen myself be evil, bad, mad, sad, lost, hurt, everything except for truly happy. I’ve seen other men come through here with a sense of happiness about them who claimed “that they were saved” — “they found God”

Well, I’ve always been a believer in God I guess-but never really put much thought into it. Until now. I am now a knowing believer in Jesus Christ. I once used to mock or make fun of people–calling them weak because of my now same way of life. Someone with the tiniest piece of faith, then they can be saved.

If you are interested in seeking wisdom, knowledge, understanding to achieve direction, purpose and salvation–then read on. Ask yourself this: where have we humans come from? We are much too smart and genius to come from a fish or an accident. We come from someone who made us. Someone much more smart then we are.

God! God created us in His image. He made us to glorify Him- to worship Him. To seek Him – our creator

Dedication

By My Friend Toni

We are now in the season of the Feast of Dedication, better known as Hanukkah. Also referred to as the Feast of Lights. Every year, for over 2,200 years, Jews have celebrated this festival commemorating the miracle that occurred when the oil to light the huge menorah in the second Temple burned for eight days, despite that only being enough for one day. The background for this story, which is historical, can be found in the Catholic Bible. It can be read in I Maccabees 1:20-60, 4:36-57 and II Maccabees 10:1-8. The Seleucid King, Antiochus Epiphanes, came into Israel with his army, and overpowered the Jews. He forced them to stop honoring the Sabbath, and all things related to their religion, or pay with their lives. He demanded that the Jews adopt his religion, and sacrifice to idols. The Temple was desecrated, damaged, and the things dedicated to the worship of God were taken. The Temple was called “the temple of Olympian Zeus”, due to the idols of Zeus being placed there. A high priest of the tribe of Benjamin was placed in charge, who was willing to bow to Antiochus’s wishes. When a country priest by the name of Mattathias was commanded to be the first to sacrifice an animal on an alter of an idol, he refused. Another Jewish man stepped forward to do it. Mattathias turned on the officer who had demanded the sacrifice, and slew him. He then tore down the idol He said, “Let everyone who is zealous for the low, and stands by the covenant follow me!” Then the fight was on. His five sons and several tough men, who were loyal to God, engaged in guerilla warfare. After Mattathias passed away, one of his sons, Judas, became the leader of the revolt. After successfully expelling their enemies, the Temple needed a good cleaning and rededication. There was found only enough dedicated oil for the large menorah for one day. They decided to go ahead and use it. Coming into the temple the next day they expected the light to have gone out, but miraculously it was still burning, and continued for eight days. By that time enough oil had been made available. A reference to the Feast of Dedication can be found in John 10:22. It was then that Jesus was asked if He was the Messiah the people were looking for. In their minds, the Messiah would be Judas Maccabee, breaking the yoke of Roman rule from off their necks. However, Jesus had a mission to accomplish before He took on the role of conquering King.

Hanukkah speaks of sanctification, dedication, and the light of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of these days, our Messiah will return to set up His kingdom and all those who have lived dedicated lives for Him will have the privilege of ruling and reigning with Him. This festival season, light up the world with the light of Jesus

HAPPY HANUKKAH

Good Versus Evil

By my friend Toni

There is a great upheaval going on in our world today. everything is being rocked. Christian and sinner alike are felling the effects, as their world as they know it has been affected, The Coronavirus has gotten the attentions of everyone. It cannot be seen with the natural eye, but the results are openly evident. It has no respect for notoriety, education, wealth, or good looks, all things that many put their trust in. The only thing worth trusting in is Jehovah God Almighty. He is our refuge, provider, and security in a time of trouble. As the pandemic rages, people have begun to look at what is really important. They are beginning to seek God. He truly is the only thing that is secure. Revivals have waxed and waned. They waxed as God was fervently sought after. They waned, as He was taken for granted. Israel had a history of taking God for granted, until it got so bad, they would cry out for mercy. If God saw that they were sincere, He would respond and turn thing around, but until then, as He says in Hosea 5:15, “I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face. In their affliction they will seek me early.” In chapters six through thirteen God utters great indictments against Israel for their ungodliness. In chapter fourteen He tells Israel, “O Israel, return unto the Lord they God, for thous hast fallen by thine iniquity.” he tell them that as they repent He will “Heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for Mine anger is turned away from him.” Hosea 14:4 The last verse of Hosea says, “Who is wise and shall understand these things? Prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein.” The often quoted 11 Chron. 7:14, says it all. “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I shear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” So, there you have it in a nutshell. “Blessings” to all as you seek Him. Toni

A Nation in need of Repentance

Hosea 6:1-3 (1) Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (2) After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. (3) Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

A couple of weeks ago, the LORD woke me up at 4:30 am with Hosea 6 burning in my head. I could not get way from it. I opened my bible and read the first three verses in Hosea 6. When I asked the LORD what He was telling me, I heard Him say 5:15.

Hosea 5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

What was the offence they needed to acknowledge? Verse 3 in chapter 5 tell us, I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

Now I fully understand Hosea was talking to Israel in the Old Testament. But I also know how the LORD speaks. I know He can use the Old Testament to speak to us today.

The LORD is telling to get right! He has watched as we have figuratively been a whore by chasing after other gods. His heart has broke while He watched us push Him out of our families, our government, our society. He watched as we have turned His love into a thing of compromise. He watched as we turned his grace as a excuse to follow our own wants and desires. He has watched as we have turned…..

He is asking me to tell you we, as a nation, need to acknowledge our offense. We, as a nation, need to repent for our actions.

A lot of ministers I listen to right now are talking about the latter and the former rain. Yes, the LORD does want to pour out His rain. He wants to flood the earth with His presence in such a way as we have never seen.

God does not change. He clearly tells us what we must do to have the former and latter rain. We must repent. We must repent. We must repent. That is the only way, that is what the LORD requires.

Remember 5:15 says he will return to His place….. Do we really want that? You and I both know, we are a stubborn and stiff-necked people. Much like the Israelites wondering in the wilderness, we only turn to the LORD when things get bad. Things are pretty bad right now. But they can get worse.

I had someone tell me to be careful about rebuking the people. Believe me, I am not trying to deliver this in a spirit of rebuke. When the LORD spoke this to me at 4:30 in the morning, it was not in a spirit of rebuke. It was in a spirit of pleading. I felt like His heart was breaking at the thought of having to go and return to His place. I felt that He is wanting the nations to “come and let us return to the LORD”

The Compromising Church

THE COMPROMISING CHURCH

God has been speaking to me about the compromising church. Who is the church? We are the church, both corporately and individually.

Rev 2:12-17 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two edged sword. (13) I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is, and you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (14) but I have a few things against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality, (15) Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I have. (16) Repent, or else I will come o you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (17) He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit say to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.

VS 14 The Doctrine of Balaam (The doctrine of compromise) In order to understand the doctrine of compromise. We must go back to the Old Testament and learn who Balaam was.

Numbers 22-24 tells about Balaam who was a magician, who wanted to have the status as a Prophet of God, he liked to look like a prophet to the people of the land. Balak was a Moabite king who saw Israel come into his land and he did not want any part of them being there. So he sent messengers to Balaam to ask him to come curse Israel.

Numbers 22

  • Balak believed that the outcome of war was dependent on the gods. So he sent for Balaam to curse the Israelites so that they can be defeated.
  • Balaam was a magician who wanted to look like a prophet in the eyes of the people when in fact he was actually a magician. (vs7) So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand.
  • Balaam means false teacher
  • Vs8 & vs 19 Balaam made s show of being uncompromising. He made it look like he was obedient to God. “Stay here the night and I will seek the LORD” In fact in vs18 he says even if Balak were to give him a house full of silver and gold he could not go against the word of the LORD. (Yet God had already said no) In his heart he was already compromising.
  • In vs32 the angel of the LORD says he stands against him because his way is perverse before Him.
    • Way = a road, a coarse of life, mode of action, along, away, because of, by conversation, custom, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward
    • God was angry because of the journey in his heart. He was willing to compromise. He grabbed hold of the thought of all that gold and silver being offered and thought maybe God would change his mind. In his heart he had compromised
  • In vs32 Balaam said he sinned because he did not know the angel of the Lord was standing in the way.
    • His spiritual eyes were closed. (that spirit of compromise had blinded his eyes to the spirit realm and he did not even know it, he had gone through the motions, he thought he was so tuned into the spirit world, when really he was blinded and probably a little deaf to it.)
    • Notice he said he sinned because he did not see the Angel of the Lord. He sinned because he was blind to the spirit realm.
    • He wanted the money; he was on a journey not to do what God wanted, but to get his hands on the gold and silver.
    • He figured he could find a way to get the money and still find a way to obey God
  • How many times have we done the same thing? We say we are fully committed to do what the LORD wants, but in our hearts we are hoping He will change his mind or allow us to bend the rules.
    • Wives sometimes make a big show of making sure people know they are fully submitted to their husbands. “I will ask my husband” “If my husband says yes” etc… Is what they say around other men and women? But then when it is something they really want they do not ask their husbands, and sometimes they only tell them after the fact or if it is something the husband asks about. Or in the privacy of their own homes they are stubborn and rebellious. I have seen it with the way they treat their children, the way they handle money, they way they spend their time. Outwardly they appear uncompromising, but God sees our heart, he knows our true motives.
  • Question: What has the church of America become? Has she become a church of compromise? Seeking what the world has to offer so that she is spiritually blind?
    • I have listened to many television preachers who are living in the darkness of compromise. It causes me much prayer when I think of all the people who are following them and being led astray by their spiritual blindness.
    • Those spiritual leaders of the church are condoning drinking wine; they are mixing other religions in with Christianity. They are compromising on the word of God. They are making excuses for their behavior. They are allowing things in the church that God would never allow. God does not change, His word does not change. What was wrong in the past is still wrong today.
  • Question: What about you and me? Have we become a church of compromise? Maybe it’s not money that has the allowed the spirit of compromise to blind you. Maybe it’s a lust for power that has caused your spiritual eyes to dim. Maybe it’s a lust for accolades that has caused you to make exceptions for certain people and that what has caused your spiritual eyes to dim.
  • It is time to turn back to the right path
  • In vs20 God allowed Balaam to follow the desire of his heart and God will allow you and me to follow the desires of our own lusts. But there will not be approval in it. God will never bless what goes against His word. He said to be Holy as He is Holy.
  • Right now in churches across America the people are even beginning to worship Baal. They may not know it, but they are. They have sinned because their spiritual eyes are blind. They are practicing something called Ekstasis (Ecstasy) look it up on You Tube. What they are doing is compromising; they are allowing other gods into their worship.

The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans (A doctrine God hates)

  • Nicolas means “one who conquers the people. Irenaeus writes that Nicolas, who was made a deacon in Acts 6, was a false believer, who later became apostate, but because of his credentials he was able to lead the church astray, And like Balaam, he led the people into immorality and wickedness. The Nicolaitans, followers of Nicolas, were involved in immorality and assaulted the church with sensual temptations. Clement of Alexander says, “The abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence. Their teaching perverted grace and replaced liberty with license.
  • The doctrine of the Nicolaitans appears to have been a form of antinomianism. Which is a belief that is based upon recognition of the mercy of God as the ground of salvation, but it makes the fatal mistake that man can freely partake in sin because the Law of God is not longer binding. It held the truth on the gratuitous reckoning of righteousness; but supposed that a mere intellectual “belief” in this truth had saving power. (http://www.wordoftruthradio.com/questions/38.html)
  • The bible teaches us that salvation is a free gift, based upon God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, the very next verse tells us that “we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10)
  • True faith produces action, as well as a desire for holiness and obedience. (1 John 3:18, Titus 2:11-15, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Revelation 14:12)
  • By the time the 2nd century rolled around the Nicolaitans seemed o have continued and extended the views of the 1st century adherents, holding to the freedom of the flesh and sin, and teaching that the deeds of the flesh had no effect upon the health of the soul and consequently no relation to salvation. On the other hand, the bible teaches that Christians are supposed to “die” to sin and the deeds of our “flesh”: Romans 6:1-2, Romans 6:11-13
  • There is a teaching right now that basically says that because of the Grace of God we no longer have to repent of sins. Because of what Jesus did for us we can live a life of effortless success! We no longer have to live a life free of sin because of what Jesus did for us. This is a lie, and this is a doctrine God hates. Do not be deceived!

Both of these men Balaam and Nicolas brought the Israelites to a state of compromise, that same spirit of running rampant on the earth today. People are living in a state of compromise and they don’t even know it. If we were honest we could all say we have places in our lives where we live in compromise. We tell little white lies, we act one way in church and another way outside of church, leadership allows people to be in positions they should not be in, we gossip, we backbite, we make a big deal of looking all holy to the people of God, then as soon as we are out of their presence all the ugliness in our hearts comes gushing out. Then instead of running to God in a place of repentance, asking Him to clean up, heal us, change us; we make excuses for our behavior, we justify our actions.

What about when we say we trust God, then we run around trying to solve our problems ourselves?

What about when we say we believe God is our healer, except for this or so and so?

What about how we set standards for how people should behave then we make excuses for people in our own family.

Do we really think God is pleased with our compromise, with our justification?

The compromising church is very dangerous because it puts a stumbling block before the church. Remember they are watching, but most of all God is watching.

That spirit of compromise is running rampant in our churches and in our lives. With it is deception. We are worshiping other gods, we are compromising the Word of God and we are bringing judgment down on ourselves.