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:

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.
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.
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:

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.
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.
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.

EXODUS 11:3

And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

I am sure we all know the story of when the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Let’s go back for a moment and remember Moses was tending his flock when he saw the Lord in a flame of fire that was not consuming the bush (Exodus 3:1-2) The Lord told Moses he was going to deliver His people out of the hand of the Egyptians. Moses has many excuses why he could not be the one to be used by God. Many of which may have been valid reasons in the eyes of Moses, but not in the eyes of the Lord. I believe the thing that was going through Moses’ mind was the fact that he had killed an Egyptian the last time he was in Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15). The last time Moses was in Egypt we had run for his life. He had killed a man, hid him in the sand. He tried to help the Israelites in his own power.

So now Moses is asked to go back to the place where things went so wrong in his life and deliver God’s people out of oppression. Which brings us to what God showed me this morning.

And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. The people left bondage with all the gold and silver of the Egyptians. It was given to them by the Egyptians. This part of the verse has been preached every way possible. So I will not spend time on it here.

Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people. “The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaohs’ servants, and in the sight of the people” I emphasize this because it is very significant. When Moses first left Egypt, he had done a very bad thing. He had killed a man. Not just any man, he had killed an Egyptian. That would be like killing someone in our government today. This was a man who had some power; he was a man who was in charge of making sure the Hebrew people did what they were told to do. Moses killed a man in authority. He hoped he had gotten away with it, but the next day a Hebrew confronted him about it. The Hebrew did not understand Moses intent to help, he just saw that Moses had killed a man, and figured if Moses could kill one man he could kill another. The Hebrew man feared for his life. This part of the story has been mention, but what I have not heard too much about is how “the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people”

I am amazed at how God takes those people who have been rejected by the world and makes them great. Great not only in the sight of the world but also in the sight of His people. When we purpose in our heart that we will follow the Word of God, God notices. When we decide we will be the one to stand for the Lord in spite of opposition, God notices. When Moses first fled from Egypt he was nothing, just a lowly criminal. Think about that for a moment. He had killed a man in authority. Think about how you would feel about the person who killed someone in government, there would be a man hunt for that individual. Think about how you would feel about the person who killed someone in your town. There would be a man hunt for that individual. How would you feel about the person who killed someone in your family? There would be a man hunt for that person. I can imagine that ALL the people in the land of Egypt did not think to highly of Moses. He was brought into Pharaoh’s house and treated like family. He was raised an Egyptian yet he killed an Egyptian. He was born a Hebrew, yet the Hebrew man feared him. So in the land of Egypt Moses was a wanted criminal when he fled the first time. He went into hiding fearing he would be caught.

Then what happened? Moses submitted to God. Imagine for a moment that you are Moses, you killed a man. Now you have lived in the desert for 40 years. For 40 years you have thought about the incident, you built a family and tried to go about your life. Yet in the back of your mind you remember you have been branded a killer in your home town. The people you sought to protect fear you and your family is looking to have you killed. Every day you think about it. Then you meet God and He says, “Go deliver My people out of the Hand of the Egyptians” How hard do you think it was for Moses to walk into Egypt. It would be like a killer today coming in and saying, “listen I have word from God.” We would think “this guy is crazy, but him in a mental ward” Yet in spite of all the fear Moses must have felt, he went back to where everything first went bad in his life. He trusted in the Lord enough to believe he would be protected. Do you think he might have been thinking “what if they arrest me, what if Pharaoh has me killed? Yet I trust in God” What about the Hebrew people, they thought Moses was crazy!

Also the more Moses spoke to Pharaoh about letting the Hebrew people go, the worse it became for the Hebrew people. It is like enough already! We had it bad enough before you showed up to make it “better” now look, things are worse” They tried to get Moses to stop. I think we tend to be like the Hebrew people sometimes. We cry out to God to do something in our lives, to deliver us out of certain situations, then when He sends someone to speak those words that will deliver us out of bondage, we want to kill the messenger. We want what we want the way we want it. That is what Moses faced with the Hebrew people. He told them the Lord has heard your cry and sent me to deliver you out of bondage, I will speak to Pharaoh and he will let you go. (Paraphrased by Donna) When that did not happen as smoothly as hoped, the Hebrew people told Moses to stop. They told him he was making matter worse and they did not want him to help (paraphrased by Donna). But Moses would not back down. He had an encounter with the Lord, he knows the Lord had sent him and he was steadfast in what he needed to do. So here we have Moses, hated by the Hebrews, hated by the Egyptians. Here is a man with very few friends. Here is a man who is an outcast because he will not do what the world wants him to do. He will not conform; he trusts in God, he put all his trust in God. He is obedient to God in spite of all the opposition he faced, and the Bible says “Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.”

In the end Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. That is the same place where he had killed a man. The same land where he was a wanted criminal before following the voice of the LORD. Moses was very great in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants. The same authority that could have him killed. The same court system that could have sentenced him to death. The same justice system that could have him put to death for killing one of their own. The same people who hated him for killing someone in their family. Moses was very great in the sight of the people. All the people even the Hebrew people who told him to stop helping. Even the Hebrew people who had to go through so much hardship because of Moses. The same people who probably figured Moses was some kind of crackpot, who should be muzzled. This is the same person who had made their life so miserable.

Moses had an encounter with the LORD. Moses had trust in the LORD. Moses spoke the word of the LORD. Moses went through some trials and came out victorious. Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.

How many of us are willing to go through some opposition to follow the LORD? We live in a time when following Jesus and listening to His voice is not the thing to do. We live in a time when we are laughed at for believing in Jesus. Even here in America the name of Jesus is coming under attach. We live in a time when we are asked to stop talking about JESUS the MESSIAH, to stop listening to the LORD, to stop believing in the HOLY GHOST. We live in a time when they would like us to be tolerant of other religions, to stop pointing out the sin. We are asked to stop making people feel uncomfortable, to stop making people feel offended. Yet will we bow to Pharaoh or will we bow to the LORD. I believe if we will be the voice of GOD. Follow His statutes; keep sin out of our life, talk about the FATHER, SON, & HOLY GHOST God will make us great in the land. Eventually we will come out of bondage and we will come out with the wealth of the world. We will be called great. God will make things turn around in our lives; He is a rewarder of those who seek HIM.

I urge us all to take a look at the life of Moses. He was just a man who allowed God to use him. He was a man who faced his fears head on. He was a man hated by the world. Yet he was a man who followed the LORD. He is a man we are still talking about today! I want to be the voice of the LORD! I choose to be the one who will not bow to Pharaoh. I choose to be the one who will not go with the flow. No matter the cost I will follow Christ! What about you?

I am the Lord your God

Isaiah 43:10-12 (New King James Version)
10 “ You are My witnesses,” says the LORD,
“ And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the LORD, “that I am God
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”

I love it when the LORD says “I am the LORD” It musters up visions of an all powerful all knowing God. It also seems like I can hear the heavens and the earth shake. I can almost feel the earth tremble below my feet.
The LORD is not a god that can be made into an image that suits our needs. The LORD is the LORD GOD! There is none other like Him. He made the heavens and the earth out of nothing, He formed you and created you. He loves you and wants a relationship with you.
Think about that, the LORD, wants a relationship with you! He created you to love you, care for you, spend time with you. He created you to love you!
Unfortunately a lot of people act like they are the god and the LORD is the created one. They want to live life by their rules and then blame God when things fall apart.
The LORD has set up a standard of living that He expects you to follow. When you follow His rules He will be your God and you will be His people. When you do not follow His rules you are exalting yourself above the LORD, in essence you are making yourself into a god.
Like I said at the beginning, I love it when the LORD says in His word, “I am the LORD your God” It just makes me feel good inside to know that the LORD my God is in control, it takes all the pressure off of me. All I have to due is abide by His rules and He will take care of Me. Thank you God!