Perspectives
on the Landscape of Life
By
DJ Note
Who’s
In Charge, Really?
Have
you experienced this? You make plans to accomplish a task, you work on it, hone
it, spend valuable time laboring until it begins to resemble something of the
result you’d hoped for. And then BLAM!
Your plans are foiled.
Sure
you have. And it just happened to me. What you’re about to read isn’t the piece
I was working on. My original nearly
completed article has somehow vanished. It simply isn’t in the file I left it
in, very strange. So, I closed my eyes to shut out the surroundings and prayed
for direction believing, perhaps, God wanted me to convey a different message
than the one I had planned.
“I
am the LORD your God…you shall have no other gods before me.”
Whoa! I heard that loud and
clear.
“The time will come when men will not put up with
sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around
them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
That’s
happening more and more, Lord.
“Do
not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”
My
mood grew somber. With eyes still closed, my fingers flew across the keyboard
to document the message I was hearing.
I hear you, Father. Let my
understanding be pure and true.
I
covered my face with my hands in prayer once again and waited in quiet
darkness.
“…We
must obey God rather than men.”
I
recalled the radio program I’d heard earlier that morning featuring Anne Graham
Lotz, “Last Days” sermon. Her words swirled in my
mind like a whirlwind. Still, I waited in silence.
“Be
on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”
Then fragments of familiar scripture flew across my
mind in rapid succession. The full armor of God … take the gospel to all
nations … every knee will bow, every tongue will confess … acknowledge me here,
I will acknowledge you before my Father in heaven …all authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth. (Scripture References: Exodus 20-3, 2 Timothy
4:3, Proverbs 3:7, Acts 5:29, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Matthew 10:31-33, Matthew
28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 10:12)
I leaned back in my chair. I believed that to be a
clarion call.
So
I ask you, do you have a Bible gathering dust? Open it. Do
you have children who need to hear the gospel? Tell them. Do you have elderly
parents? Care for them. Do your neighbors need to hear about Jesus? Give them
His Word. Are you able to share a meal with someone? Share it. Do you know a
widow in need? Meet it. Do you have an extra dollar that could go to a
struggling ministry? Give it. Has God given you the blessing of two good arms?
Give a hug.
The family of God is just
that, FAMILY. It’s both a blessing and a responsibility to be reborn into this
marvelous privilege. God our Father is in charge. There is still much work to
be done and many in need. Like a barn that needs raisin’, let’s work together
and get it raised before the storm hits.
The clouds are gathering.
Deborah J. Note writes from Eagle Point, Oregon.