How Big Is Your God?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV

     At different times in my walk with God, I have had times when I prayed and it felt like nothing was happened.  I didn't know if I had done something that had created distance between me and God or if God was simply not ready at that time to answer my prayer.  That item just stays and stays on the prayer list.  You see other things come off and on and still that one remains.  It is difficult to understand what God is up to sometimes and then sometimes it is impossible.  Have you ever thought about why that is?  
     One thing that I think that sometimes christian are guilty of is treating God as if he is simply a bigger human.  We seem to attribute so many human qualities to God it makes it seem like he is just a bigger version of us.  But, if you look at passages such as the above, we see that God is vastly different than us.  God's thoughts and his ways are different than us.  He doesn't operate by the same principles or values that we do.  He does everything in order to glorify His own name, in perfect holiness and love.  He does everything with perfect insight in past, present and future and perfect power to do whatever He wants.
      But, we can be guilty of attributing to God the same temper that people have such as "I did so and so, so God must be mad at me."  Like God didn't know before the universe was created who and what you were.   One of the glorious things to remember about God's love is that God knows you better than you know yourself.  He knows about sins you haven't even committed yet.  He knows the thoughts you will think 20 years from now and every motive your heart has ever had.  He knows all our dark places and yet loves us anyhow.  So, no, he is not like us.  Because I can barely stand myself some times and I don't even understand the depth of the darkness of my own soul like God does.
     And the simple truth is that it is impossible for a infinite God to always communicate everything to a finite being.  It is important to realize that there will be times when we cannot understand what God is up to because it is so much more above us.  Our understanding is limited while His is not.  In those times, we simply have to trust God.  We do that by remember His character and His love for us.  And remember that God doesn't do things just to be mean like people do.  His motives and heart is always pure and good.  He doesn't make mistakes or speak out of turn.  He doesn't need to repent and correct Himself.  He hasn't forgotten about you and there isn't something he should touch that is beyond Him.  We simply have to trust Him that even though God may be quiet, it doesn't mean He is not at work.  I would encourage you to trust Him when you don't understand what He is up to.
      One other thing to remember if your waiting on God is that it is up to God to speak when he is ready and it is up to us to listen.  Your not to speak for Him, but to be still, wait and listen.  Your job is to be faithful doing your part and then let God do His part.  It may seem that God is late, but He is not.  He does tarry at times though to test us and prove us that we might be stronger from having gone through a trial.  He may simply be waiting because it is through that perseverance that you become stronger.

Signs of the Times

     I saw a post on facebook yesterday that gave a prophetic word that Jesus would return as a part of the rapture on Easter.  While I don't believe in date setting because Jesus said when he was on earth that even he did not know the day or hour, I do believe it is very soon that he will return.  As christians, we should be watching the signs of the times and recognizing that they look very similiar to what is mentioned throughout scripture.  Those words that I stated from a pulpit in West Virginia in 2005 about Jesus returning in my lifetime seem even more prophetic now.
     As a believer and student of the Bible, I believe end time events will center around Israel.  Specifically, they will center around Jerusalem.  The Prime Minister of Israel these days sounds like an alarmist.  Our President has shown a shocking disregard for the Prime Minister.  You might think that he is completely wrong.  I happen to think the Prime Minister is dead on right and should be alarmed.
     In recent day our leaders and world powers have been talking with Iran to try and make a deal to avoid Iran getting nuclear weapons.  I never thought that I would see something like this, but it looks like reading scripture to turn on the news.  We are making a deal with a known sponsor of terror and a sworn enemy of Israel.  What makes anyone think we can trust them?'
      In 2 Thessalonians 2 it speaks about a man of lawlessness that is to be revealed.  Based on what the Bible says there and other places this will be a man of deception who come initially preaching peace.  The nations will be tired of war and ready to make a deal.  Our own President has made similar comments when he says that America is tired after over 10 years of wars.  The stage has been set for a deal to be made.
      In many places it says that Israels problems will come from the north.  Some draw a line straight north and see that Moscow is north of Israel.  So, they conclude that the antichrist will come from Moscow.  To be sure, Mr.Putin has a spirit in him which would welcome the antichrist since he is a man devoid of truth.  But, it doesn't necessarily have to come from there.  In ancient times, people traveled along the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia from east to west.  If you were traveling from Iraq, Iran or points east then you would travel up the rivers Euphrates and Tigris and then travel south down through Syria and Lebanon to Israel.  It was a major trade route from points east to Egypt.  What scripture is really telling us is that this trade route would be used or that the person coming to destroy Israel will come from the east.  Nations such as Iran, Iraq and Syria will be involved.  I have long thought that the antichrist would come from Syria, a known supporter of terror.  The man who is leader there now is responsible already for 100,000 deaths and has used chemical weapons before.
      The this man of lawlessness has been restrained by the Holy Spirit until his season arrives.  In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-6 says, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself  above every so called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with
you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed."
     Having visited a lot of churches over the last few years, the apostasy is already happening.  People are turning away from church and they have gathered for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear.  Churches have forsaken the Holy Spirit and turned to man made ideas about church growth and abandoned repentance and seeking God.  The pulpit has turned into nothing more than man made ideas and few really preach the Word of God in truth.  Even though we have Bibles in most homes today the level of biblical ignorance is shocking.  Clearly, we may have bibles, but they aren't being read, studied and meditated on like they should be.
     So, what i am saying is that the stage is set.  As a believer, that means that our redemption is drawing near.  Jesus is getting ready to come back and end history as we know it.  If your an unbeliever, you may read this and think I have completely lost it.  Your within your rights to feel that way.  But, search scripture and see what I mean for yourself.  And remember to keep your eyes on Jerusalem for that is the apple of God's eyes.  All of history will as we know it center around Jerusalem.