Why all these lockdowns? by Pat Franklin

Why is God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, allowing believers to still be here, going through one lockdown after another? 

I believe it is so that we have time to get our act together, to get squared up with God, to pray, to repent of anything so far unrepented of, and to really get to grips with the Bible, get stuck in, read and study – and to return to our first love, the Lord Jesus. 

Because He’s coming soon, folks!   God is graciously giving us this time to get ready, get filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit so that we are not left behind like the five foolish bridesmaids who were waiting for the bridegroom, but had no oil in their lamps.

Are you doing any of those things?  

We can see the  juggernaut of the Great Reset coming, the total re-ordering of the world economic system.  Now it is out in the open; it is global; no one will escape it; there is nowhere on earth to run.

So run to the cross of Jesus!  He died for us.  He shed His blood as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for all the sins of everyone who puts their faith in Him.  He said He will NEVER turn anyone away if they come to Him for forgiveness.

He alone can save us from what is coming, and He has revealed that He will do it in the most spectacular way imaginable.

He  will save us in the Rapture of His church, His Bride.  He is the heavenly Bridegroom and He is coming for His Bride in the air and she should now be making herself ready. 1 Thes 4:16-18

How can we be ready?  How can we get topped up with the oil of the Holy Spirit and not be left behind when the Bridegroom comes?  Ask!  Ask the Lord for His Holy Spirit. 

‘If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?’  Luke11:13

But you must not only believe in Jesus.  You must do the things He commands us.  Here are a few:

  1.  Forgive people who have hurt you.  And God will forgive you.  This is so powerful.  It sounds so hard to do, but just make up your mind to do it.  However much they have hurt you, get on your knees and say to God:  Father, I forgive (whoever) for (whatever they did).  I completely forgive them and pray for their good – I pray You will bless their health, their finances, their families, their employees if they have any, and that they will come to know Your holy Son Jesus.   Just say it.  Pray it every day until you feel released.  You will be amazed what God will do when you forgive someone in your own life.  It opens the door for all kinds of wonderful things to happen. 
  2. Loosen up on money if you possibly can.  It all belongs to God anyway!  We need to lay up treasure in heaven.  Look around for poor people, especially poor believers and poor Jews.  Have some money in your wallet that you can afford to give away, and if you give it, tell the person it is a gift from the Lord Jesus who loves them so much that He sent you to help them, and most of all that He wants them to know Him too.  Then you can tell them the gospel and they might come to faith.
  3. Make sure you are dressing modestly so that you do not tempt anyone to sin.
  4. Abide in the vine.  This means you have to read God’s Word, the Bible, and do what Jesus says.  Then you will bear fruit, and the Father is looking for fruit in our lives. 
  5. If some guilty thing comes to mind, immediately ask the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you.  ‘If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9)  When I was first saved in 1981, they told me at the Evangelical church in Alton, Hampshire, England:  ‘Keep short accounts with God.’  Meaning – if you do something wrong, beg forgiveness right away.
  6. Start telling people the gospel if you don’t already.  A delivery man just came to our door, another opportunity!  He wasn’t allowed to take a tract, but in just about 2 minutes he listened while I told Him Jesus was coming soon and he needed to be ready, that the awful things happening now are just the start of a terrible time, and that he needed to open his heart to Jesus and ask for forgiveness and to become one of the Lord’s people – and to forgive anybody who hurt him.  He actually thanked me and left smiling, saying that he had been having such a bad day!   His name is Adam if anyone would like to pray for him.   That is all in a couple of minutes and if I can do it, you can to.

I’ve just re-read this and it looks like I’m doing great, which is far from the truth, and I don’t want to be a hypocrite. All those points above I am also working on.

 My prayer lately, and I am not a good, faithful pray-er at all, is Luke 21:36, ‘Watch and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.’  That is after I thank God for His incredible mercy on me.

And I always insert into that that I am not at all worthy, but please account me worthy anyway. 

I am so glad the Holy Spirit had that little word ‘accounted’ put into that scripture.

And in case you are fuzzy on what the gospel, the good news, actually is:

  • We are all guilty sinners; all have fallen short of God’s standard.  Romans 3:23
  • Christ died for sinners.  Romans 5:8-11   He was buried and rose the third day. 1 Cor 15:3,4
  • The wages of sin is death.  Romans 6:23
  • If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9-13

 Also, I've found some good teachers on Youtube as well as the ones I know from the past.  Dr John Barnett is wonderful, as is J.D.Farage.  Yes, I know, one is reformed and one is charismatic, but I have learned a lot from both, and the Lord Jesus will iron out any wrinkles any of us have when we get up there.  Which reminds me - I have some ironing to do...

*Yes, I know, there are two split infinitives in this article, but I claim the right to boldly go there...just now and then.  This is for grammar pedants (wish there were more around!).


30/11/2020

 
 
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Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. (Idol - anything or anyone who is prayed to or given the reverence due to God alone. Idolatry - giving excessive honor to a person or thing and ascribing them with godlike power.)
Acts of the Apostles 17:16

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