Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
In today’s post … we’ll talk about those times when you feel worn down and discouraged by your circumstances. Maybe you’re exhausted from dealing with a strong-willed child, a difficult marriage, or some other family issue. Maybe you have suffered a devastating loss over the past year and the holidays were especially difficult. You may have lost a job or had some other financial setback. Or maybe you’re worried about rising costs or a medical diagnosis.
You may be so discouraged you’re tempted to give up altogether. How do you keep going when life seems so full of challenges?
How do you view your life and the world around you? Do you view your circumstances through the lens of Scripture or do you allow your circumstances to dictate how you “see” God? It seems the people of Zechariah’s day began to allow the latter. They needed some encouragement to refocus on God and keep going. Is it possible that God’s encouragement through the prophet, could encourage you and me, as well?
Then, as we continue reading the book of Revelation, we’ll look at the seven bowl judgments: incurable sores, water turned to blood, intense heat, darkness, floods, earthquakes, and unbearable pain. And there is only one way to avoid God’s judgment.
The people in Haggai’s time had a problem. They were working hard, but getting nowhere. The blessings of God were missing from their lives and God sent Haggai to help them understand why. Could their problem be ours as well? This is the time of year for evaluating priorities and setting goals for the coming year. Don’t forget to consider God’s priorities as you do. God had something to say to the people in Haggai’s day on that subject. Could a book written in 520 BC have a lot to say to us, too?
Like all great books, the last chapters in God’s Word are “hold-your-breath” exciting. Today we’ll talk about “The King” who was born as a babe but will one day return in power and glory. The climax will be a great battle where the fighting will be so fierce that the blood will be four feet deep in places and cover an area of 200 square miles. We’ll, also, talk more about the Tribulation and how people will be given one last chance to believe the gospel. But if they take the mark of the beast, their eternity will be sealed for all time. We, too, must decide in this life because there’s no Purgatory, no opportunities to earn our ticket to heaven, and no last chance to realize, “Oops, I made a mistake!” So we must choose wisely.
During the Tribulation, the final Antichrist will rise to power. All those who want to buy and sell will be required to wear his name or his number 666 on their right hand or foreheads. And all who dwell on the earth will be deceived into worshiping him, except those whose names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb. It will seem that he has free reign to do evil and get away with it.
The prophet Habakkuk felt the same way about the enemies of Israel in his day. And we may feel that way today as we watch our nation and the world spiraling downward morally and spiritually while evil men and women appear unrestrained, even celebrated. But there will come a day when God will judge the wicked and in the meantime, God reminds us that “the just shall live by faith.”
Death … it’s the thing many of us fear the most. But there is another death, a second death, that should concern us much more. This second death involves spending eternity in a place where Jesus said the fire is never quenched and the worm never dies. It’s neither purgatorial nor annihilating. And the bad news is that we all deserve this second death and left to ourselves, we have no hope of avoiding it. And while there is good news, it’s not automatic.
What is the most important goal or resolution we can make for the coming year? Many believe we should resolve to do things that make us happy. Others say we should set goals that will help us be more successful. Perhaps you have a goal to lose weight, get healthier, spend more time with family, achieve better results in your career, or something else. But is there a goal that should be the goal for every believer every year?
If you’re a follower of Christ you might think that goal involves things like going to church, reading your Bible, doing good deeds, giving more, or praying more faithfully. But is there a bigger goal, one that may include those things, but begins in the heart? What should the goal be for a believer?
And in our reading from Revelation, we meet the two witnesses. With fire to devour their enemies, the power to shut heaven, turn water to blood, and strike the earth with plagues, they will warn, preach, and prophesy during the first half of the Tribulation. But what happens after their death is even more shocking.
Can you believe it? 2024 is almost here! By the time you read this, we may have already turned the page.
Even though we are all busy with shopping and holiday preparations, many of us are contemplating our goals for the coming year. If we want to grow and accomplish new things, it’s important to set goals. But if we’re serious, we should have a plan to make those goals happen. That’s true with spiritual things just as it is in every other area of life.
What do you want to accomplish in 2024 in the way of spiritual growth? What is your plan to accomplish those goals?
Why not set a goal to read through the Bible in 2024?
Angels would herald His birth. Wise men would follow a star to worship Him. Shepherds would stand in awe of what they saw. A king would try to kill Him. Satan would scheme to destroy Him and God’s plan. But Mary pondered it all in her heart. As we rush around with all the last-minute shopping and preparations, let’s remember the Greatest Gift.
And not lose sight of the reason behind all that we do this Christmas season … that the Creator of the Universe humbled Himself and became a babe, was born in a stable among animals and filth, lived as a man among sinners, and submitted to a horrible death in your place and mine.
In the Prophet Micah’s day, most of the people had placed their hope in the wrong things. They had rejected the warnings of God’s prophets, choosing to listen to false prophets instead. Those false prophets merely told them what they wanted to hear and failed to call them to repentance for their sinful behavior.
That kind of deception is one of the devil’s oldest tricks. It started with his deception of Eve in the Garden. But deception leads only to despair when people realize their hope was placed in the wrong thing.
Today many are deceived into believing lies about human sexuality, God’s character, how He works through our trials, the reality of God’s discipline and judgment, and many other false belief systems. Each of us needs to be sure those things in which we place our hope are firmly grounded in God’s truth.
And in our New Testament reading …
In Revelation 9 the fifth and sixth trumpets sound! The fifth releases swarming locust-like demons with tails like scorpions. They will attack those who do not have the seal of God. Their stings will leave people begging to die, but not even able to commit suicide. And the sixth is even worse.
