Living in the Last Hour

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Shelter in Place

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Irm

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New Normal – baking! Banana bread – yummy!

So, the Shelter in Place order went into effect last night. So, I can assume most people have already heard what this means. Limited outdoor activity and only essential travel. Governor Abbot left it up to individual counties to make the decision to shelter in place, so as far as I know mostly the bigger counties have passed this order. There’s 254 counties and I heard there are some that have reported zero cases.So, yesterday my daughter went out to buy some last minute essentials. I hadn’t been able to find any floor cleaner, so thankfully, the stores had restocked and she was able to to pick some up for me. Yay! I can’t remember ever being so happy to get cleaning stuff. Although, when I first got married-my husband brought home a dustpan for me and I do recall feeling so excited. I didn’t have one and I had been using paper to pick up the dirt, so a dustpan was a blessing. I know. Strange.

So, we are facing some challenging times. We are learning as we go. We are not at the point of facing religious persecution – in this country. Federal and state governments have taken measures to prevent the spread of this virus. We couldn’t have done this 200 years ago. The technology was not there to reach everyone – to save lives. Today, we are being asked to stay home, but we are not in a jail cell. We can’t go to church, but church is online. Fellowship, unless you live alone-you should have someone to join in fellowship. Just about everyone has some kind of phone service. I’ve even seen homeless people on their phones, which is good. Students are now out of school until April 24 with online instruction. I am more curious as to how this will end and what lays on the other side.

So, as I, we – prepared for two weeks of staying put I couldn’t help but think about the time when Moses led the people out of Egypt and well… God being God took them through the scenic route. I’ve read where there was a shorter route they could have taken. So, why did God take them the longer way? My experience has been that God always has a good reason and though I didn’t like it when I went through trial after trial, year after year, when He relented, the blessings were more than I ever could have imagined. I am still in awe.

So, then I thought of Jonah, who ran from God. God already knew that Jonah was going to run. So, I was like OK. There is nothing that God does not know. That, we live in the most prosperous nation, with the best medicine, best sanitation practices – we are incredibly blessed. The threat is not the virus but the attitude in our response. I said, well, Lord, I guess we will see you on the other side. 

True, my husband, is very concerned. He does not want to take any unnecessary chances and risk exposure. I don’t blame him. He has been reading through the Book of Revelation and he shares some of what the Lord shows Him and let me tell you – it is amazing to watch God reveal Himself. He tells me that we have no idea how bad it will get for Christians when we truly begin to experience end times events. Only, God can do that. Only God can reveal truth. Isn’t that awesome!

Yesterday, when I wrote that the only men we know that God called were those that we read about in the Bible. Well, I thought about it later. And I realized that to believe that statement, people have to believe in the Bible and in the inerrancy of Scripture. And from the statistics I come across, there are evangelicals that preach the word of God and  don’t believe everything written in the Bible. How can that be?

There is no half-believe in God. That’s like the churches in Revelations. All believers are members of one of those churches. So, one either believes in God and all things concerning God, or not. We will have times of unbelief, that’s why we pray for help.

I was watching Gov. Abbot’s conference yesterday, and he went on about how Texans are this and that. We always rise to any occasion. How we come together in times of need. To be a Texan, hmm, it’s like you have to be better than the greatest American (my opinion – not the gov). To identify as Texan speaks volumes about the person and the people of this state.

Every believer’s identity is in Christ. One time I was sure I was a member of the Church of Laodicea. I was neither hot. nor cold. And God knew that. Like I’ve said before it took God a few years to show me who I truly was. God can and will solidify our identity in Him. And just how, He will use us for His glory – well… that’s something He too reveals to us.

So hearing and knowing the true gospel points us in the right direction and likewise we too can point others to the right path.

I Corinthians 15:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

More later… 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!