01/02/18 SIGNS OF GOD: CELESTIAL AND TERRESTRIAL
As we celebrated God's goodness to us throughout 2017 we remembered that sister Robin has actually been with our new ministry in Beaufort (The Net House) since New Year of 2017. Wow. What a great year of blessing to have her with us. I pointed out to the children that sister Robin has a great email address, because it declares her submission to God. I mentioned that, among other blessings from God, we could have called 2017, "The Year of the Robin." Of course a robin is a songbird and lifts our heart when we see it. This is true of sister Robin as well and I mused on how important it is for each of us to bring good things to each year, especially as the world around us darkens and decays.
Not everyone or every creature brings thoughts of pleasantry. I explained that the Chinese have designations for each new year, such as horse, dog, pig, (as well as monkey, rat, snake, dragon, among others). Today I researched the background to Chinese New Year celebrations and learned some interesting things. It appears that the Chinese may have thought that certain practices (lights, noise, fire) would ward off an annual visit from an evil creature. They name each year in honor of one of the 12 animals on their Zodiac.
Of course, paganism, through Astrology (you better get rid of your Horoscopes) has corrupted the "signs" which God placed in the starry sky at the dawn of earth's history (Genesis 1:14-19, Romans 1:18-25).
LET ME MENTION, life is tough enough for the person who is following God fully, but when you corrupt your life with pagan pursuits, like Astrology (not to be confused with Astronomy), and you give time to reading Horoscopes and "living by your sign," then you are giving Satan an open door to your inner life.
Another way that modern society is corrupting our world is the reversing of Divine directives. In other words, the worldly, devilish crowd declares sin to be good and declares God's rule to be evil. We have seen our society accentuate its infatuation with abominations by promoting and even canonizing and codifying its aberrant and deviant beliefs and behavior, such as homosexuality, gender crossing, self mutilation, self scarring, drug and alcohol use, corrupt and perverse conversation. They would have us believe that we have entered The Year of, or, The Decade of the Gender Confused or the Year (or Decade) of Religious Tolerance, which being interpreted means DOWN WITH THE WORD OF GOD. Just as the world has corrupted the signs of the heavens and the rule of God, they have advanced the spread of chaos. The only hope for this world and the individuals in it is a turning to Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 5:20-24
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
God gave signs in the heavens and He gave the sign of His Own Son and He has sent us to be a witness that Jesus Christ is Lord. We should be pointing to the signs of Christ's salvation and to the signs of His coming.
Regardless of what the world worships, we should be people who honor and please God; we should be people who lift other people to a place of godly worship and living. We should live in such a way that others see in us that it is "The Year of the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world." Make this The Year of Praise and Adoration to the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
