It’s that time of year again! That time of the year when you go out to do your civic duty, again! You know that thing that happens every 4 years. That thing that’s so divisive it fractures relationships beyond repair…because you know – the “Orange Man is bad” or “Cackling Kamala.”
Don’t fret, this ain’t a political post. Politics – while important….is noise. While people fight over their idol “here”, they miss what’s going on over “there.” A brilliant and effective strategy. But again, this isn’t about that. It’s about our need to know what’s next or when everything ends.
You ever ask yourself when is it going to end? Or, what will the world be like for your children or grand kids?
Today, we live in a very tumultuous world. Wars, rumors of war, insane inflation, high unemployment, and increased crime. Pandemics, epidemics, catastrophic weather – the list goes on and on. With so much happening, you’d think we must be at the end.
Life is a struggle for most. I don’t know about you, but I think we are struggling more. The struggle is so real that people are praying, “Jesus, come already” even more. We all tire of battling chaos and long for comfort. To not live paycheck to paycheck. To be free from sickness. To live life and not have a life to live.
So what happens when we struggle for so long? We begin to lose hope. Become jaded and despondent. BUT before this, we muster up enough HOPE as a last-ditch effort to obtain a piece of sanity. What does this hope of eventual comfort or peace look like? Inquisitive thinking.
We start searching and inquiring where that comfort is. These inquisitive thoughts spur action. These actions lead us to ask other sources – when and where is the good fortune and happiness?
At least twice the disciples asked Jesus when concerning the times. Jesus either evaded the question or simply told them – it is not for you to know. Yet, even today we keep finding ourselves asking, Lord Jesus, when? I won’t pretend I haven’t done this. I did this the other day.
I had a dream I cant explain. I just know it was from Him. I knew it was for a time to come, but I wanted to know when. I wanted to know what it looked like. Through my praying and searching, He led me to Acts 1:7.
“…It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.”
Not to take this verse out of context, but this verse alone spoke volumes. Simply because He pointed out and reminded me of His sovereignty. It also reminded me of the dangerous traps set by the enemy.
Gullible and even weary Christians have the tendency to search and do a lot of speculating. We have our ears tickled by false prophets who make outrageous claims. Like, a literal town in heaven called “Christmas Town” and all these feel-good messages. Or “thus saith the Lord, in 30 days your prayers will be answered,” and it never happens.
We entertain wolves behind the pulpit who speak only of prosperity. “Plant your seed in our ministry today and the Lord will bless you 30, 60, and even one hundred-fold!” We give heed to twists in scripture and false doctrine. We dabble in divination to figure out what’s next.
There is a danger to this. I quote from Matthew Henry, “[t]hose that are most inquisitive concerning the secret things which belong not to them are most easily imposed upon by seducers, 2 Thessalonians 2:3.” When we go searching for things that is not for us to know, we fall into traps.
Traps that open doors and wreak havoc. Traps that the enemy uses to shake and eventually break our faith. Remember, he comes to steal, kill and destroy. Don’t fall into these traps. Instead, confer with and learn from the Holy Spirit Himself.
Just a simple reminder to trust our Heavenly Father. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Seek Him with everything you got! Cling to real hope. While this is easier said than done…take a deep breath and remember how far you’ve come.
Our life on this earth is temporary. Take heart and look forward to eternity. An eternity with with living King – Jesus.
theOlivetbee 