Praise, honour and thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous and Holy God; for He continually heightens our awareness, deepens our understanding and strengthens our faith in Him through His wonderful written revelation, the Living Word.

By the glory of His grace, as we abide in Him and He in us; our faithful Lord and King constantly counsels, encourages, comforts, strengthens and sustains us; that our trials and circumstances are life changing truth of Christ’s blessings in disguise, transforming us into His likeness by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The focus of our attention should be on the tremendous invisible power of the atoning work and exaltation of the Servant and Lord. It should be on His immeasurable and everlasting love, the expansion of His covenant family, His glorious kingdom and splendour of His majesty, His dominion and sovereignty as described in Isaiah 54:5 which says:

“For your Maker is your husband; Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.”

He is Jesus Christ, also called Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man, the Son of God, Emmanuel, the Messiah, the Holy One, the Mighty One, the Name above every name, the Lamb of God, the Lord and Saviour, the Anointed One, the High Priest, the Healer, Lord God, the Almighty and the Master. What an honour and privilege it is that all true and faithful believers are children and heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; so that if we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:17).

During my prayer, the God of our covenant grace reminded me (us) of His command in Leviticus 11:43-45 that:

“You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that swarms, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, so that you should be defiled by them. For I am Jehovah your God, and you shall sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any kind of swarming thing that swarms on the earth. For I am Jehovah who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

The Lord continued to speak to me and gave me a revelation, warning us that when He acts, it is all for His Holy name’s sake, sanctified and magnified; for the purpose and the end aims at our salvation; the glory of our Almighty God and His Kingdom. May we heed the Word of the Lord in Ezekiel 36:22-23, an awakening call to all of us, which says:

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”

Saints and family of God, when we look around us and the world today, it is not difficult to recognise the times in which we are living as God communicates with us in personal ways, helping us to discern, preparing and guiding us, through the seasons. Indeed, many people are already living in testing times in different parts of the world, and others will catch up with them soon, in God’s own time.

God wants to prepare and equip us, so as to strengthen and sustain us during times such as these, and those to come. There is truly no other way than but to draw near to God alone, and He will help and guide us into the future and His glory, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Greater is He, our God, who is unseen than all the problems in the world that we face and that we see. Will we allow God to come into our life no matter our background, our past and present? Are we willing to yield to God in obedience? Will we repent of our sinful ways and turn to the Lord? Are we hearers or doers of His Word? Are we bearing fruit in our walk with the Lord?

The earth is groaning in pain. The earthquakes, with their frequencies and magnitudes increasing, with other land and sea disasters such as the tsunamis, are not just any other natural disasters. The Lord led me to believe that these are only the beginning of more difficult times ahead, and more will come. Revelation 12:12 says:

“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and those tabernacling in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and in the sea! For the Devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a little time.”

Yes, there is a battle in the Spirit happening here on earth, and yet, we rejoice with our heavenly hosts that the days of Satan are numbered, for he is already defeated on the Cross!

The world may be under deception, but the great light shall overcome all darkness. The time is near when all darkness shall be exposed and the Truth shall set the captives free! There is no use, and no need, of concealing anything; right and wrong, truth and error, as all are about to come out into open with deadly collision; and the day is coming when all hidden things shall be disclosed, everything seen as it is, and everyone shall have his due. First Corinthians 4:5 says,

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall each one have praise of God.”

Jesus warns us in Matthew 24:11-14 that:

“Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Satan may prevail far in deceiving poor souls; few find the narrow gate, but many are drawn into the broad way. Many will be imposed upon by their signs and wonders, and many drawn in by the hopes of deliverance from their oppressions. Behold that neither miracles nor multitudes are certain signs of a true church; for all the world marvels as they followed the beast (Revelation 13:3).

Jesus Christ is supreme and victorious for He had conquered death on the Cross. In His glorious ways, God will establish His worldwide kingdom for all eternity and build His house on the Rock. He will enlighten the faithful remnants with wisdom and understanding; knowledge and discernment. Christ will reveal men in their true light. Moral distinctions will no longer be blurred. The senseless people will not be honoured. The evil intentions and plans of the ungodly shall be exposed. The righteous King will protect His people from deception and deliver them. God will not hesitate to judge and punish those who have sinned against Him.

The Lord is our only hope and we need to draw near to him, remain faithful and obedient in our ways. The prophet Isaiah declared the prophetic word of God, that Christ, the glorious and sovereign King who is above all powers and darkness, shall triumph. He shall rule and reign in righteousness in all the earth. His true and faithful disciples and saints, that is, His church, shall reign in righteousness and justice according to His Word and truth. By His grace and mercy, the sovereign Lord is the shelter of His people who yield to Him when storm strikes. He is the refreshing river of life and hope to the weary in the dry land. He is also our rock and redeemer who will deliver and restore us. He will strengthen and sustain His faithful people who draw near to Him in all times and circumstances, including times of trial and tribulation (Isaiah 32:1-8).

The true disciples shall be the light of the world and blessed by God.

Let us remember the Word that the Lord spoke to His disciples in Matthew 10:26-28,

“Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and nothing hidden which shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Amen & Amen!