Good evening again!
Tonight I had planned to write about numerology, but was moved instead to write about what we as the body of Christ should do in times of trouble. The word tribulation is also used in scripture for these situations. No, I don't think we're in the great tribulation just yet, but I do believe it's coming sooner than most realize.
Looking at that word, tribulation, the first instance occurs in Deuteronomy 4:30. In fact, this verse and the one following pretty much sum it up, and I could just end this newsletter right here! They tell us in the latter days to turn to Yehovah and be obedient to His voice and He will not forsake or destroy us or forget the covenant He made with our fathers.
We must turn to Yehovah in these times and listen to Him. Trust that He's got this and He's got you (Proverbs 3:5). Psalm 9:9 tells us He is a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble. In fact, the Psalms are full of encouragement and promise from Him that He will take care of us. Read these, when things seem overwhelming and they can give you comfort. Psalm 27 is a great one. These are not just songs, they are God-breathed (theopneustos) promises (2 Timothy 3:16) from Him who is our refuge and strength (Psalm 18:2), and they are also prayers to Him that you can use if you can't find the words to say.
There are a lot of things going on that may seem confusing, and there are a lot of things that look one way when they're actually another. Do not fear. Ensure you have repented for your sins and forgiven those that have sinned against you and pray for wisdom and knowledge and Yehovah will give it to you (2 Chronicles 1:10-12, Proverbs 2:6, Daniel 1:17, 20, 2:21, 1 Corinthians 12:8, Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9). He wants you to not be fearful because He has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).
We as the body of Christ know how this ends, so there's no reason for us to fear. We know our God is the one true God, the creator of the universe. But that doesn't mean we are to sit back. We still need to fight, but we need to fight the true source of where everything fearful and confusing and oppressing is coming from (Ephesians 6:12) and that's done by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-13).
Take a look at these pieces of armor (Ephesians 6:14-18):
loins girt with truth
breastplate of righteousness
shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace
ABOVE ALL the shield of FAITH
helmet of salvation
sword of the Spirit (the word of God)
The armor is closed out with a direction to pray always with prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watch with perseverance.
You may wonder how we put these pieces of armor on. Some of them are self-explanatory (faith, peace, truth). Righteousness comes from confessing and repenting of sins and asking for forgiveness. Salvation comes from knowing in your heart that Jesus, Yeshua, is your Savior. He died and became our unrighteousness so that we could become righteous.
I want to take a quick deeper look at the sword of the Spirit. When you take a look at the Greek word used for "word" it's rhema. This word means "that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word." The sword of the Spirit is the spoken word of God.
Put these things on, be strong, trust in Yehovah, and lift up your brothers and sisters in the body. There's strength in numbers (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Matthew 18:20).
Pray for truth, pray for strength, and pray for the healing of our nation. Shabbat Shalom and God bless you!
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