Living in the Last Hour

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Well…here we go!

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Irm

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So, yesterday Mayor Nirenberg announced yesterday the city will shelter in place starting tonight at midnight. What does that mean? Well, basically except for essential personnel and trips to get supplies and fresh air and exercise-we are to stay home-at least until April 9.

How did we get to this place? After the announcement our city councilman got on Facebook and was proving more detail on this new order. This is a difficult time for some people. We need that social interaction. We need to feel connected and sometimes Facebook is not enough. Sometimes it makes you feel worse. I asked if the city, or the county was prepared to deal with any mental health issues resulting from this new order. He said no and just suggested for people to connect with family and friends, and any type of counselor friend. Well, later that evening, he posted a link to place people can call if they need help dealing with things.

Here is the opportunity for believers to make a difference, to the be the light of the world, to share the gospel, if only with one individual. All we have to do is share and the Holy Spirit does the rest.

There is a lot of stuff in the Bible. Rich Mullins said it like this…

“The Bible is not a book for the faint of heart — it is a book full of all the greed and glory and violence and tenderness and sex and betrayal that benefits mankind. It is not the collection of pretty little anecdotes mouthed by pious little church mice — it does not so much nibble at our shoe leather as it cuts to the heart and splits the marrow from the bone. It does not give us answers fitted to our small-minded questions, but truth that goes beyond what we even know to ask.”― Rich Mullins

“I had a professor one time… He said, ‘Class, you will forget almost everything I will teach you in here, so please remember this: that God spoke to Balaam through his ass, and He has been speaking through asses ever since. So, if God should choose to speak through you, you need not think too highly of yourself. And, if on meeting someone, right away you recognize what they are, listen to them anyway’.”
― Rich Mullins

“We were given the Scriptures to humble us into realizing that God is right, and the rest of us are just guessing.”― Rich Mullins

And truly, we don’t know that anyone has been called of God, except for the people in the Bible. Today’s pastor, preacher, evangelist may have, one day, just decided to preach, or maybe his daddy was a preacher and he was obligated to follow in the family business, or it was the simplest thing to do. The ministry may have been just handed down. Either way, as believers, we don’t really know. We believe by faith that our religious leaders are called of God and they have other leaders that will confirm that they are called of God. And try to dispute anyone’s authority and you will get the wrath of God, for calling out one of their own a fake, or a fraud.

Is this time to be questioning the authority of some of today’s church leaders. Yes. But really every day we should be testing the spirits to make sure they are of God.

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Think about when this passage was written. What that tells me is that there is probably more false teaching out there – than not. Which, when I thought about it – that could mean I have believed many things about God that may not have been true, or may have been distorted. Remember when Eve was deceived. Did God really say…?

So when I looked at the message of the gospel, I had to pray and God ask to help me – in this world of spiritual nuances – to discern the truth.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We hear this verse a lot. But the next verse…

vs.17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” 

John 14:6 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
“Jesus said unto him, I am that Way, and that Truth, and that Life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 5:39-40 (NKJV)
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

More later… on just the gospel…

Stay safe! Be blessed.

 

 

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Hello,

I’m Irma

Welcome to my little corner of the blog world. Here, I share my thoughts on Christianity, the things of God, and the ways He has shaped and guided my path through life. My journey with the Lord has been long and transformative, marked by moments of peace and joy and periods of uncertainty. I write, first and foremost, for myself—to process what the Lord so graciously reveals to me in Scripture. Sharing some of these truths has become a mission of sorts, via blogging. His word urges us to bear witness and encourage one another.

As I reflect on my own transformation, I can say that the church itself has transformed over the years and not necessarily for the good. I speak about my own experiences with the church. One lesson the Lord impressed upon me this year is that “truth is not always truth.” What do I mean by that? There have been times when I’ve shared a biblical insight, only to realize that other faithful believers interpret the same passage differently. In that instance, I find that the Lord reveals according to our understanding. When I share the need for a Damascus experience understandings diverged sharply. Believers that have been raised in the church do not feel that such an extreme experience is necessary for spiritual maturity. Our faith is truly shaped by our backgrounds. Spiritual journeys are not for everyone. This taught me that early socialization deeply colors our grasp of faith; what’s true for me may not resonate in the same way for someone else.

Similarly, lately I considered how “ignorance of Scripture was its own blessing,” I remembered my early walk with Christ. I had a blind faith. I knew little of doctrine or debate. I trusted the pastor. In those days, my faith and trust in the church and church leaders was simple—I accepted what was taught from the pulpit without questioning. I did not have the knowledge needed to question any teaching. There was a peace in not knowing all the controversies or complexities. As I grew and studied the scriptures, and did some additional research, as the Lord gave understanding, I found myself questioning everything I had been taught. I did not question my faith, or the existence of God. That ignorance, while limiting, protected me from confusion and doubt, allowing me to rest in childlike faith.

The church itself has seen many changes over the decades. Self-proclaimed prophets have introduced new doctrines, some bordering on heresy, while believers wrestle with their flesh and what it means to follow Christ in a society with so many freedoms. I remember a time, more than thirty years ago, when I trusted every word spoken in church. Now, I understand how easy it is to accept teachings that stray from biblical truth. The Scriptures warned us this would happen in the last days.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NKJV) “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

Current events—like the 2024 Election—have exposed deep flaws in American Christianity. Yet, through it all, Scripture assures me that God is sovereign. No wall built by human hands can withstand His judgment; no scheme crafted in darkness escapes His light. These lessons have become more real to me as I look back over my journals, filled with stories of God’s faithfulness during trials, tribulations and abundant grace. By sharing I hope those the Lord leads here will desire to seek God wholeheartedly, to find comfort knowing that He is always at work in our lives—often in ways we never considered.

Check out my books on Amazon for the Kindle App or in print.

Check out my latest title: Where are my Sheep? Available in Print & Kindle

The Diary of A Christian Woman

A Father Takes All: Four Generations of Growing up in Single Mother Homes – Grace Abounds

I Will Not Be Afraid: Living in the last Hour – Reflections of a Christian Woman

The Journey Endured: The Path to Meet God

Praise the God of the heavens!