Choose Soon

Choose your side, soon. One day there'll be no more time to choose. There are but two kingdoms on this earth, two realms that battle for the souls of men, and every human being belongs to one.

Which one is your foot in? On which side do you now stand - the kingdom of darkness or that of light?

Choose soon.

Artwork: spiritual warfare, unknown

Neither Cold nor Hot

Jesus said, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth" Revelations 3:15-16

Jesus is not saying that he'd rather we have cold faith or that our love be cold, instead of being lukewarm. No Father wishes that his children are cold in their hearts toward him.

Think of the attributes of hot and cold.

Hot:
Healing - hot compresses, baths and heating pads are used to bring healing to sore muscles.
Comfort - hot drinks and sitting by a fire brings comfort on cold winter nights.

Cold:
Healing - ice and cold compresses are used on sprains and sore muscles to bring down swelling and help heal.
Refreshing - ice cold drinks and dips in cold pools refresh us on hot days.

Hot and cold both bring healing, while one also refreshes and the other comforts. Lukewarmness does neither. It cannot refresh, comfort, or heal. Lukewarmness is good for nothing. Jesus is saying we need to be people who bring healing, comfort, and refreshing into other's lives. Hot and cold are both good in His eyes. These are the deeds that He's looking for in His children.

Artwork: Ice and Fire, unknown

A Lion on Your Hands

You've got a lion on your hands and you didn't even know it. You thought he was just a child who couldn't help but get in trouble all the time.

No, no, you've got a lion on your hands, I tell you; a brave and bold adventurer who will lead his peers one day.

Do not listen to those teachers who wish to give him drugs to quiet him . . . lions don't need drugs! Lions need fresh air and lots of room to run. Lions need mud to cool their feet and trees to climb.

Lions were never meant to be tied to a chair seven hours a day. God did not invent this ridiculous social experiment called "public school." That was created by men to forcibly tame the lions in our midst.

Artwork: Identity © Marilyn Simandle

https://www.marilynsimandle.com/

An Ugly Thing

“There it is, with all its darkness.”

“That is his heart?”

“Yes, where the bitterness, the hatred, the envy all lie. That is the root . . . or you can say rot.”

“So, that is why they speak the way they do?”

“Yes, for what comes from the mouth, comes from the heart. A salt spring cannot produce fresh water.”

“Ah, yes, yes, of course. It is an ugly thing.”

“Sadly so.”

Artwork: Evil Heart, unknown

You and Your Lucifer

You cannot win. For centuries you’ve tried to no avail.

He is far too strong for you to overcome. It just takes a Great Awakening and you are undone (as we have seen a time or two), whether governments allow for it or not.

You have helped to birth all modern ideologies that are anti-Christ: communism, socialism, secular-humanism, nazi-ism, feminism, and Marxism; with Darwinism, eugenics, and the creation of a public school system where you have set up man as god . . . Yet, you still do not understand how small you are.

Freemasons, you do not know the Christ. The Lamb shall reign forever. And you and your lucifer? - shall not.

Artwork: freemasonry all-seeing-eye, unknown

Bringers of that Light

"Gate-crashers! Truth-bringers! Spoilers!"

Hear them shriek? Out there, in the dark somewhere? They dislike what we are, but we are what we are and they cannot stop it. We SHINE . . . and they cringe. We SING . . . and they stop up their ears. We pray—oh, my—we PRAY and they are forced to flee and evil tides are changed midstream.

"It’s them! It’s them AGAIN! Filthy bringers of that light; His light; wicked, wicked light!"

Hell doth not look well on us. Hell doth not have love for us. But we shall bring His light regardless, for He who dwells in us shines out of us so brightly.

Artwork: girl walking into light, unknown

Masks, Veils, and Walls

There He is! . . . do you see Him? . . . He is beautiful. You asked me how I see Him so well for you wished to see Him also, and I told you to lift that silly veil. You thought to hide your flaws from Him, and how you thought such a thing I do not know. Nothing can be hid from Him. Not our thoughts or frailties or even dreams we hold onto secretly. With Him there is no such thing as “secretly”. Masks, veils, and walls can never hide you from Him, but they will hide Him from you.

And now you have done it and you have not been disappointed. Did I not say that He was fairer than all the sons of men? Do you hear me? . . . Hello? . . . I knew that this would happen. It happens to everyone who sees Him clearly for the first time. I'll just leave you to gaze in wonder for awhile. I told you so.

Artwork: The Invocation by Lord Fredric Leighton

When You're All Grown Up

"I want free everything!" she cries.

"I'm afraid you must work for it," I say to her, as she immediately throws her hands over her ears because she does not want to hear it.

"I WANT IT AAALL!" she wails, kicking her little feet. "Health care is a human right! And by the way, so is food and clothing! And housing? That's a human right, too! I want all of it free for everyone and I want it NOW!! And I don't care who must pay for it!"

"Is that all?"

"Noooo!!" she wails again and rolls her eyes. "I want free college education and I want all the buildings ripped down and built again the green way, so those poor little polar bears don't suffer! (sniff, sniff) And I want everyone who doesn't think like me canceled from the world foreevver!"

"I think it's time for you to go to bed now, dear. You're very tired. We can talk about it when you're all grown up."

Artwork: En Penitence by Emile Munier

They'll Be Drawn

If your light is burning, they will come. It is very simple. Like moths to a flame, they'll be drawn to His lovely light and you won't need to strive or force or make things happen. It just does.

Just keep a burning flame in you. One flame is all it takes and everywhere you walk, they come. For His light is irresistible, you know. It fills your soul and glows deep within your eyes and everyone can see it. And if you stay close to Him your light will always burn.

Artwork: Candle and Moth © Virgil Elliott
https://virgilelliott.com/

Babies Down The Drain

Babies down the drain, flushed away as thoughtlessly as sewage. Rivers of babies have been lost - 64 million in America alone. God said He sees us in our mother’s womb when we are yet unformed. That would be an embryo just 2 weeks old—unformed and quietly unknown by its mother. Yet, Father knows that tiny life and He says that in His book are written all the days that He had planned for it, before it's ever born and wakened to the world. Think of all His plans that never came to pass, all the pages of His book that were torn out. Abortion is a grief.

This is proof of how uncivilized we've become . . . it is rivers of precious babies flowing down the drain.

Artwork: The Lake, Sleeping Waters by Frederik

As Sharks Will Do

The sharks smell blood. And, so, they circle round and round, as sharks will do.

“It’s God who’s doing this!” they say. “It’s God’s punishment and we, the righteous, shall devour him and kill him good! Cancel him! Never let his name be spoken in this place again! It’s God exposing him; it’s God whose meting out the punishment, not us!”

Watch them churn the water—biting, chomping, swallowing—till there is nothing left of the poor soul but a tiny spot of blood. "Our work is done," they say. "He will never rise again," and off they swim with bellies full of self-righteousness and eyes bulging from their meal….and a wide smile of satisfaction on their faces.

Artwork: shark circling, unknown

A Lovely Rock

A rock is underneath my feet, a lovely rock, a jewel from the brow of God; a steady rock, a cornerstone that all is built upon. And storms have come. And winds have pounded this small house I built upon it. And the walls have cracked. And the roof has leaned. And windows have been broken.

But the house still stands.

Yes, the house I built still stands on a foundation stronger than my own small self. Of course, a few repairs are needed, but a firm foundation is a solid place to build . . . I could not have chosen a better or more lovely rock upon which to build my life!

Artwork: House Upon a Rock, unknown

Thin Ropes of Mercy

So, there you are. Poor tired soul. Been adrift at sea for quite awhile now, haven’t you? If not for those thin ropes of mercy tethering you to that bit of salvage . . . you’d be drowned.

Now what? How does a shipwrecked life find healing anyway? Where is deliverance from the merciless wind that tears at your skin and the unkind water that grabs at you with its cruel, icy finger? And that gray sky, that sorrowful gray sky that stretches infinitely on, that threatens to banish the sun forever from your gaze – who can call back the blue and bright above and drive away the gray forever?

I know who . . . and I know how . . . I know His name well. He is a brash lover of souls and a fearless one who is not intimidated by violent winds or cold waters that run perilously deep. He’s calling you – no, no, it’s not the wind you hear. It’s Him! Open up your eyes, dear soul, your deliverance is at hand!

Artwork: All That was left of the Homeward Bound by Riviere

That Little Flame

"What is that?"

"Where?"
"Right there. What is that little flame that she is setting down?"
"Oh - that is hope."
"Hope?"
"Yes, a persistent hope."
"And who is that, the one lying down behind it?"
"That is one in need of hope."
"And who sent this hope?"
"He did - the One who loves her more than any other."
"But is that little flame enough? She seems so . . . so downcast."
"Oh, yes, more than enough. You see that little flame will grow."
"It will?"
"Yes. First it will fill her heart, then it will light her eyes, then it will make her rise up off the ground, and then she will shine."
"Shine?"
"Yes, like He himself."
"That brightly? Really?"
"Oh, yes. He loves to make His children shining lights!"

Artwork: Dawn of Hope (c) Daniel Gerhartz
http://www.danielgerhartz.com

Off With its Head

It's a stinking giant! That's all it is - a loud, evil, intimidating giant that has had you groveling to its demands for far too long. Rally, dear one, rally yourself and face it. God will make your stones fly true and hit hard. Just ask Him.

Off with its head! Silence its bellowing voice forever! Are you not tired of its demands, this giant that pounds upon you whenever it wishes? It has stomped through your life for many years now. It shouts . . . and you bow. It commands . . . and you capitulate. It threatens . . . and you tremble.

Off with its head, I say! It is just a stinking giant.

Artwork: David by Caravaggio

No Fear of a Moon-god

There was a man named Muhammad.

He married a 6 year-old girl and consummated the marriage when she was only 9 and he was an old man of 54.

In his day the Middle Eastern tribes worshipped 360 different gods, with Allah, the moon-god, chief among them.

His family worshipped this moon-god, so he created his religion around it.

The symbol for the moon-god was a crescent moon, thus he took this as the symbol for his new religion.

He decided that this moon-god would be the only god, forcing all tribes to worship it alone.

He was a man of violence who beheaded all who refused to convert or extorted them for protection money.

Mecca was built as a shrine to this moon-god.

And now millions of dear muslims have turned away from this moon-god for love of Jesus, the God who is love. Though they are killed or beaten or lose all that they own, they now know a love that is stronger and no fear of a moon-god can hold them.

Artwork: Crescent Moon and Star, unknown

A Garden Awaiting

It is right there. Can you not see it? Can you not see the flowers that returned for yet another year? Can you not feel the sun that silently crept into the garden without you noticing? Ahh, but your eyes are downcast. The flat, gray stone is all you see; the cold mud and hard brick beneath your feet is all you feel.

Look up for it is coming . . . look up for change is near. So close that you can touch it if you just stretch forth your weary fingers. The world is alive with sweet color - do not keep your vision in the gray, rainy, dismal days of old.

There is a garden awaiting!

Artwork: Poor House in Melk by Leopold Blauensteiner

All Hell Tried

He could not do it. Oh, he tried, alright. He tried and all hell tried with him. But to no avail . . . that third day came. THAT THIRD DAY CAME!!

It was quite a surprise, I'm sure. A terrifying surprise to him and all his cohorts in that other realm. They cried and whined and sniveled and screamed their rage: "What is this? We had him! We defeated him! We took his life and buried him!"

But then . . . that third day came. And they have been in a rage ever since.

Artwork: Jesus rising from the dead, unknown

The Only Way Through

"There is the gate."

"Him? He is a person, not a gate."

"No, that is the gate."

"But a gate is what one 'goes' through."

"Yes, and they must go through Him."

"They might walk around Him. He is only one person, after all - not very wide."

"They might try. But He is the passage, the Way through. There is no other entry."

"Well, if He is the only way through, that makes for a pretty narrow gate."

"It does. And it is . . . narrow, that is."

"Not everyone shall like the idea of going through Him. They shall try all manner of ways to enter."

"They shall; in fact, many shall. But . . . there is only one gate . . . and it is Him."

Artwork: Coming Glory by Mareesha D.S.  

A Glimmer

"There! Did you see that?"

"What? See what?"

"Over there, there it is again. Did you not see it that time?"

"I think I did. What is it?"

"I am not certain . . . but I think . . . I think it is a glimmer."

"A glimmer? What's a glimmer?"

"A glimmer! You know . . . a tiny glimmer of hope."

"Hope?"

"Yes, yes, I'm certain of it now. I've seen that kind of glimmer before. Quick! There's one up there! See?"

"Ahh, yes, I saw it that time. So that's what hope looks like."

"Oh, yes, that's exactly what it looks like - if you've got eyes sharp enough to see it. Not many have, you know. Not many can see a glimmer."

"I can see why. They rather sneak up on you, don't they?"

"Yes, they do."

Artwork: Fireflies © Daan Michael Hoekstra