For years I have studied Biblical prophecy and have taught Revelations a number of times.  No one knows when the end will occur.  It seems many interpret the end times differently.  I would like to give a possible meaning of end-time prophecy that tells of the end as given in Revelation chapters 8 & 9.  These Scriptures gives a list of seven things that must occur. Recently I have heard an interpretation that Irvin Baxter has given.   Here is that list of events that could occur starting the end-times as follows:

1. The first prophecy begins with World War I
2. The second continues with World War II
3. The third, we believe is when the Russian Chernobyl power plant caused tremendous amounts of radiation to enter the sky.  That was part of the end-time prediction.
4. Many believe the fourth was in 1989 when the Berlin wall came down; it was the beginning of the new world order and globalization.
5. Next was when the 700 oil wells in Kuwait that were set on fire in 1991 by Iraq.  It blocked the sun and moon from shining for days.  The last two have not happened. 
6. As the sixth trumpet is heard, a 200 million army, either from Islamic nations or China, will start a war that will erupt in the Middle East around the Euphrates River.  One-third of mankind will be killed or approximately 2.3 billion people probably as a result of a nuclear war.   This could happen at any time.  
7. When the seventh trumpet blows, Christ will return to stop what is happening and the dead will rise and those having the Holy Spirit within will rise to meet Him in the sky.  This will initiate His 1000 year rule on earth prior to our leaving to go to the new heaven and the new earth when our present earth is destroyed by fire. 

Revelation 11:15 – “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”

The point I wish to make is if Scripture points out Chernobyl, the Berlin wall and the fires in Kuwait would God not have talked about global warming or climate changed caused by man?  Could it be God punishing the world as we read in Leviticus?  It is Satan that does not want you to think there is a God and climate change, being man-made, is used as a deception. 

Leviticus 26:18 – 21 – “If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.  I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.  Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit. If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve”. NIV

II Timothy 3:1 – 5 – “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”  Have you watched TV or read newspapers lately?

I am one of those who believe that if global warming or climate change were to happen I could read about it in the Bible.  Read all of the prophecy found in the Old and New Testaments and there is not one word forewarning us about man destroying the earth by what energy we use. There are a number of references about what God will do to a sinful people.  Satan is the great deceiver.  It is amazing how many people he has deceived over the years.  As we get closer to the end, we will have Christian preachers teaching there is no hell or anything that will tickle your ears and make you believe a loving God will forgive anything you have ever done.  The Bible teaches we will be judged by our hearts and our attitudes.  If you do not have a repent and unforgiving heart and have tried to be obedient to Scripture’s holy ways, you may want to reconsider where you may spend eternity. 

I am writing this blog to inform you that many now believe that Global warming was a hoax instigated by Satan to create redistribution of wealth for his future one-world government as described in Scripture.  This is a belief I think Satan has perpetrated to deceive and instigate those who would believe him, into seeking a world government with no races or boundaries.  Globally we are now connected through financing and our economies.  Second, I believe global warming, caused by man, is part of Satan’s end-time deception in order for the antichrist to take over and control.  If you believe the prophecies of the Bible, when that happens, you may lose your freedom!!!  Or does that matter?

Global warming is a way to gain more control over our economy and change from a free market economy so they had to find a way to do away with Capitalism.  Why not use the environment to justify increasing government?  Huge sums of money have been provided that scientists could justify and provide assurances that warming was inevitable.  The problem is our planet has not gotten any warmer over the past fifteen years.

NASA says global warming could “increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought.”  I wonder what caused all of the droughts and extreme rainfall that occurred in the Old Testament.  Remember the time Joseph went to Egypt and prepared for a seven year drought.  His father Jacob, his brothers and the entire family had to move to Egypt to survive a serious drought.  In 2009 British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that climate treaty negotiators had about 50 days to save the world.  President Obama was told he had only four years to save the earth from global warming.

Just how much damage do we want to do to our nation’s economy to cool an earth that is not over heating?  Do we want to make it a law that we can no longer burn coal or use gasoline to drive our cars?  How far do we want to go to eliminate what can be used to generate electricity?  To really get serious we must deny that God has any control over a universe that He created.

I Peter 5:8 – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Lions attack victims that are alone or not alert.  Be aware, there are some who have made global warming a religion.  Don’t you believe this could be a tactic instigated by Satan?  It isn’t as much about the use of carbon fuels as it is about the insignificance of God and His creation.

When we moved to Las Vegas in 1974 America had the coldest winter in its history in 1978-79.  Our children were being taught in school that we were having a problem with Global cooling.  We could get to the point the U.S. would be so cold that we would have problems producing adequate amounts of food.  I am glad we have been using carbon fuels because I much prefer warm weather to the cold.

The progressives who prefer Socialism to Capitalism decided that to keep people from using carbon fuel, they would just raise the price and people would use less.  The more expensive they make oil and coal the better their chances at lessening the threat to global warming.  Global warming’s threat is keeping us from building a pipe line from Canada that could reduce the price of oil considerably.  There are 27 major reservoirs of oil and natural gas, enough to last 100 years.  My Bible warns me of a number of things we can expect in the end times.  However, no where does it ever refer, telling man that he can destroy the earth because of using the resources God has provided for us to use.  Therefore, as long as we have an administration who passionately believes we are causing global warming, the price of carbon fuels will remain twice the cost that they could be.

Does it sound like man-made CO2 emissions are going to destroy the earth and only a few will survive?  You have a choice: You may believe Bible prophecy that there will be no unusual global warming or believe some scientists who many do not trust the accuracy of the Bible making calculations that they have not, to this point, been able to prove beyond a doubt.

When Christ returns to live on this earth for 1000 years is God going to let man cause global warming prior to His coming?  Since Christ was able to control the weather when He was on the Sea of Galilee don’t you suppose God could stop global warming if it was being caused by man? However, the Bible does say that when we go to a new heaven and a new earth with Christ, after the 1000 years, then this planet will then be destroyed by fire.

So consider that supply has been meeting demands for years.  Improvements due to Fracking and other technology have provided ways to get oil that was once extremely hard to reach at a much lower cost.  With our ability to gain more mileage per gallon in transportation, demand for oil and gasoline is running lower than we had previously expected.  But the prices are only higher because those in Washington, D.C. want them higher.  If the administration chose to, they could make regulations requiring speculators to buy the product once their future contracts expire.  This could reduce the cost of oil immediately.   One reason for higher prices has been a result of those buying options and speculating.

In addition, they could open up public lands in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Alaska, offshore, and in the gulf to drilling.  We could get this economy growing at a much faster pace.  More jobs would be created and the free market Capitalistic economy would grow exponentially. In addition they need to reduce punitive taxes on business and reduce the enormous regulatory burdens.   But this is just not what the progressive want.  They want those who have the wealth to share it with those who do not want to work or that government is the deity to whom we should turn to for our daily bread.

If you are still unsure about man-made global warming, may I suggest you study the Bible and see if you don’t reach the same conclusion as so many of us have.

There are basic requirements that must be met for a person to live in eternity with God.  I believe the fourteenth chapter of John gives us the basics.

John 14:1 – 3 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

The first requirement is that we believe Jesus is who He says He is.  We believe in God we must also trust what Christ taught about Himself.  Most of the world does not believe that Christ was the Son of God or the Messiah.  There were approximately 500 who witnessed seeing Christ alive after he was pronounced dead on the cross.  There were a number of disciples who were violently killed because of their belief that Christ was resurrected and went to be on the right hand of God.  They finally believed Christ was the Messiah and knew He rose from the grave and they saw Him ascend into heaven through the clouds.  Would that make you believe He was God’s representative and savior?

We must realize that Christ is in heaven preparing a place for those of us who believe in Him.  Scripture indicates that there could possibly be room enough for a billion people.  We know God will have a place large enough to handle all who will be with Him in eternity.  Many believe we will be assigned a room depending upon our deeds and our holiness.  They get this from the Book of Revelation where it says we will be rewarded for our deeds and service.

Christ tells the apostles what His plans are for those wanting to be with Him in eternity.  Even though they were repeatedly told, they did not understand.  They and we were told that our purpose in life was to love.  We were told often that God loves everyone and Christ wanted everyone to be with Him in eternity.  Most are unwilling to believe in the promises Christ gave that required one to enter heaven.  Many will not repent and allow their minds to be renewed nor would they be obedient to His instructions and live a holy and righteous life.  He then tells them the only way to Heaven.

John 14:4 – 6 – “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’   Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”  Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” I Corinthians 3:11, I Timothy 2:5, Psalms 14:12

Repeatedly Christ told His disciples that He was going to his Father who had sent Him.  He told them that they knew the place He was going.  They said they didn’t really.  He says that to get where He is going you can only get there if you follow Him; because no one else knows the way.    He then tells them that if they will believe in Him, He will make sure they get there and He will take them into God’s presence without fear.

This is hard for the world to accept. Christ’s way is just too narrow. Yet the way is wide enough for the whole world if they would believe and accept.  Those of us, who trust the words of Christ, believe there is only one way to Heaven and that is through Christ.  There are others who believe there are many ways.  Some will tell you all that’s required is living a good moral life.  Others teach there is no Hell so it doesn’t make any difference how we live.  Some of His disciples found it difficult to believe Christ was who He said He was.

John 14:7 – 14 – “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”   Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”  Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

The Jews never expected the Messiah to come as a baby. They believed He would come as a ruler.  Would the Son of God work as a carpenter?  He knows what it is like to work with disagreeable customers.  He knew the difficulty of making ends meet. He encountered every problem that faces man and He knows how to deal with those situations.

Christ knew what it was like to be tempted.  Jesus went through the same struggles many of us go through.  He knew our sorrows and showed he cares.  He had the same challenges we have.  Through Jesus we see the character of God.  He stated that the things He said and the things He did, did not come from His own initiative; His power and His knowledge came from God.

After all of this, Jesus told His disciple; at least believe in the miracles He performed.  Jesus is asking us to look at His life, look at what He taught and see what He has done.  If that isn’t enough the rest will depend upon you.  This is how God chose to come into the world so that the world would have the option of salvation.  Do you believe?

Physical and spiritual walls must be broken through if we are to be free to stretch our endurance, abilities, and potential. Athletes learn that they can catch their second wind only when they are willing to go through the pain of breaking through a wall of resistance. Once they push through that physical wall, their task becomes easier and their energy and endurance increase exponentially.

I played basketball, baseball, and track in a small Christian college. I ran in the 880 and one-mile relays. A good coach won’t let his runners give up, stop, and rest when they come to that wall where they feel they can’t run another foot. A good coach will train the runners to break through it because he knows that if the athletes push, they will catch a second wind and start running like they were on air. Once that resistance is broken and the runners get their second wind, the next race they run they will know they can get through that wall—and hope it will happen sooner rather than later. I know about getting a second wind. It’s a fantastic feeling breaking through the physical wall of resistance.  But there is also a mental wall of resistance that must be treated just the same.

When I coached at a small Christian high school, I taught my students about getting a second wind by hitting the wall and breaking through. However, some kids were not willing to put forth the effort and therefore never experienced getting a second wind. In basketball we played a full-court press defense and a fast-break offense, which required tough physical endurance. Many times we won by wearing out the other team. My job was to help players realize that to stretch their physical endurance and potential they had to push through the wall of resistance at least once. Nothing is more important than adequate preparation and hard work to build confidence and stamina.

Just as athletes experience a physical wall of resistance, Christians encounter a spiritual one. It’s called fear. Most often this barrier is more difficult to break through because the Devil and his spirits of darkness often put the “wall of fear” before us.

God did not create Adam and Eve to have fear. We know that Christ lived without fear. Genesis 3:8–10 tells us that once Adam and Eve sinned, they became fearful. Before God cursed the earth because of Adam’s sin, nothing was worthy of fear. But when God cursed it, fear immediately entered man.

Now two kinds of fear exist: positive and negative. Positive fear keeps us from standing in the middle of a busy freeway and challenging oncoming cars. Negative fear keeps us from using our full potential or abilities. It can be a fear of failing, thus an unwillingness to try something that requires faith, trust, or confidence.

Anytime you attempt something that seems impossible you will run up against a wall.  Many have a first reaction to quit.  As a store manager I found many who did not want additional responsibility.  It could be they feared failing or just didn’t want to put in the effort.  Of course, not everyone has a competitive spirit.  It is not that they don’t want to be a winner; they just do not want to enter the race.

I believe God gave us His Spirit to help us in life.  It bothers me to see a Christian young person who is not doing well in school.  I understand if there is a handicap.  What about a student with a decent mental ability?  To some, they reach a “wall” in math or Chemistry.  They hit the wall and can’t understand what they are being taught.  The first reaction is to find an excuse to give up.  The problem is we are making it too easy for our young people to be excused and not push them to break through the wall and put more time understanding.  I have found each time a wall was in front of me, was to find a way around or through it.  What made Steve Jobs different from most of us?  He didn’t give up and found a way to get on the other side of the wall.  As a result, he was known as a genius.  I like what I read about Edison who invented so many new products.  He worked a year and one-half to develop the incandescent light.  He hit hundreds of walls before he finally broke through.

Here is where doing the impossible comes in.  I believe God gives us ideas that will improve ourselves or others whether it is spiritual or material.  However, to us there is a wall in front of it.  No matter how much encouragement we receive from the Holy Spirit we just ignore what God is telling us.  I have seen so many athletes and employees with exceptional ability and talent; fail to do what I felt they were capable of doing.

If a person believes God has a special task to perform do they not think that the Holy Spirit will help them accomplish it?  God would never ask a person to do something they cannot do.  Nothing in Scripture indicates that God opposes successful careers, wealth, position, or the pursuit of personal interests—recreational or otherwise. In fact, we have every reason to believe that God will bless us in these endeavors if we keep everything in perspective. Scripture confirms it: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). (This is just one of many verses to commit to memory that remind us of what the Spirit desires and what we receive by yielding to His desires.)

The Apostle Paul had every reason to quit as he was always hitting walls.  But God either got him through or around everyone of them.  Through it all he was rejoicing knowing the power that was in him.  II Corinthians 11:22 – 28 – “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.   Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.   Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.  Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

I believe in self-fulfilling prophecy. We can become what we want to be—a success or a failure—depending upon how we think of ourselves. When we think positively, we can become highly motivated and more productive. If we think negative thoughts about ourselves, we become less enthusiastic and block our full potential.   When you are doing something and you see a wall in front of you remember: the Holy Spirit can help you do the impossible.  He did it for Paul.

Our minds are developed by the world and the way we live. The world lives separated from God. Our background, our parents and those who surround us inject into us a mind that thinks as the world teaches. Who we are, what we think, our beliefs and our behavior come from a worldly self-centered mind. Scripture tells us that once we become a Christian we are to change our thinking, our attitudes and how we live. We are to repent by changing the direction we have been heading. This takes developing the “mind of Christ”.

Romans 12:1 & 2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

It is God’s plan for His children to have a new mind-set that will make life good, enjoyable and pleasing. He wants only what is best for us. We are to no longer conform to the world’s ways, their behavior and their customs that cause corruption. The world’s ways are being proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn and arrogant.

Therefore, it is God’s known will that we are to transform by renewing our minds. Many new Christian converts are unwilling to give up their pride and their self-control. Two things are necessary to renew our minds so we can be transformed to be more like Christ. We must know God’s will and His ways and that only comes from reading or hearing the Word. We are told that we cannot do it on our own it takes the Holy Spirit to transform us and change our thinking. It is a gradual and continual process and our minds will not be completely Christ-like until we are in Heaven. With our knowledge of Scripture, the Holy Spirit will renew, re-educate and redirect our minds. Little will happen if we do not surrender and give up control to the Holy Spirit and make a commitment to stop living a sinful life. We are not to become impatient and frustrated because it does not happen instantly.

I John 3:2 – “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

It is apparent that many Christians fail to establish strong convictions, to stand for something regardless of the consequences. A conviction is the unwillingness to compromise on pre-determined Christian principles. Having no convictions, you have no standards or limitations. Developing the “mind of Christ” causes one to have strong convictions. This is why obedience to God’s will is so important. Many Christians are more willing to be politically correct than to stand firm in what they know is right.

Other Scripture tells us that if we surrender, make a commitment and stop living a sinful life, the Holy Spirit will transform us and give us a new mind in a way similar to Christ. We then must live daily being focused on Christ. For example: Titus 3:5 – “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” We are not to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness once a week. It is a continual every day, all the time seeking. We know that Christ talked to God throughout every day and prior to every decision. We must realize that God gave us His Spirit to help us. Are we dependent upon His help? Do we take advantage of God’s Spirit being with us to help us? God says He wants what is best for us. Are you taking advantage of His promise? Do we want what God says is best for us or what the world says we should be or what we need? Do we think each time we pray that we need to surrender our worldly nature whose influence is to live worldly? Are we continually thanking God for everything He is doing in our lives? Probably not, if we are not even aware of Divine intervention that can occur daily and is not recognized.

Romans 12:3 – “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

It is important to have a healthy self-esteem but we must not over estimate ourselves. Paul is telling us the importance of being humble because of our commitment to Christ. We must never allow ourselves to become self-righteous. The stronger our faith, the greater our realization, what we have is a gift from God. We must never measure ourselves by someone else’s standards or let someone else set our standards. God has given each believer a standard of faith to measure ourselves and that standard is Christ. We are to measure ourselves according to our relationship to Christ. If Christ were our standard we would never have to worry about being humble. The “mind of Christ” is being humble, loving, obedient and the mind of a servant.

We have had two major disasters in the past two weeks. Throughout our lives we will be continually witnessing disasters: death, health problems, financials crisis or just plain fear. Why does God allow bad things to happen and how should we respond to them?

I believe that whatever happens, God either allows it to happen for a reason or He causes it to happen. There are a number of times in Scripture that God allowed evil to happen to serve His purpose. Israel was continuously being punished for lack of obedience. The story of Job is one example as well as Joseph. Evil caused both to suffer tremendously. Yet God knew about it, allowed it to happen and later results were very positive. Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Would you not imagine Job and Joseph going through their misery were wondering—why God? How could a young son who dies of an accident, “work for the good”? An illustration was used that a person early in life died and went to heaven. He was there just minutes. He looked around and saw the indescribable beauty. He was asked: “Would you rather stay here or go back to earth?” The answer was: “Stay”! Death does not have to be the end. To a believer it is the beginning. However, he returned to earth.

It is possible that God allows people to go through pain, suffering or problems to get us to respond and changes our ways. Scripture says that once we accept Christ as our Savior, God will make us more Christ-like. When a Christian goes through problems, suffering or pain, normally you immediately turn to God. Whatever it takes to drive us closer to a personal relationship with God is actually good for us. I wrote in “Miracle on the Hudson” that when a miracle takes place and a person realizes it, it can change the purpose and direction of their entire life as it did so many on that plane. I have read of service men in a life and death situation promise God that if He will save them, they will live for Him the rest of their lives. Go through serious medical problems and see if you do not become more concerned about life after death and eternity.

We will all have needs, whether they are physical, mental, spiritual or financial. God promises to meet those needs. Yet, we worry and wonder, why God? It seems there are many times God is not meeting our needs. I have prayed with a number of people who seemed to believe that everything looked hopeless. They had lost faith and were struggling with why God was not answering their prayers or reducing their problems. There is a reason for everything. If you ever find yourself in that situation read the following Scripture: Philippians 4:11b – 13 & 19 – “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength… And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

II Corinthians 1:3 – 4 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

When disasters happen we have Christ as an example as to what we should do. He would respond to others with compassion and kindness. He would provide love, comfort and mercy to those suffering during His time on earth. When we are involved in types of disasters or hardship, we too should show sympathy and comfort to those suffering.

Disasters are the only way some will ever seek Christ and salvation. When bad things happen we are to realize that we have a loving God but also He is a just God. To those who may have caused the disaster, as we have seen in Boston, we realize that the two perpetrators probably will end up in Hell. God provides negative consequences to those who do evil.

We also know that God allows disasters to send warnings. Have we as a nation been obedient to His ways? The answer is: we have been doing everything to eliminate God from our society. America may be in its greatest danger in our history. How much is God willing to put up with us until He withdraws His protection completely? Up to this time He as possibly limited the amount of damage that could be done. Maybe it was He who stopped the two before they could bomb New York as they had planned.

One thing we must learn from disasters is our life is an uncertainty. We could be one who is killed at a future gathering of a large crowd. How are we living? Are we prepared for life after death? Christians are told not to be fearful but be courageous. How can we be if we are not prepared spiritually? Isn’t it best then to be spiritually prepared?

Who we listen to helps develop who we become. Those we associate with, we take on some of their habits, characteristics and attributes. Have you ever thought: who do you allow to influence you? We tend to listen to others and take their advice yet too many Christians fail to listen to the Holy Spirit. How mature you are spiritually depends on how important you have made the Holy Spirit in your life.

We may spend time Sunday listening to sermons yet fail to take even minutes to seek the advice of the Holy Spirit. When it comes to making decision, they are often made as the world makes decisions and not as a spiritual person should be making them.

So what can we expect from the Holy Spirit if we begin to listen? God put us on this earth for a reason and a purpose. We will never know for sure what that purpose is unless we hear it from God’s Spirit. We are created with a need to become achievers as we are made in the image of God. To feel that you have been successful you must realize what your purpose is and accomplish what God has planned for you. Have you asked God for your purpose and have you patiently waited for an answer? Realize that God will never ask us to do anything He will not provide the power or ability to help us accomplish any task.

We are told to have a personal relationship with Christ. That can only be done through the Holy Spirit. We need to make contact daily by loving, worshipping and asking how we might please Christ and serve others. We must be careful to develop such a close relationship with Christ that we can tell when we are listening to the wrong voices. Never underestimate the power of Satan to try and influence anyone of us.

We must at all times be aware that the Holy Spirit is continuing to provide direction in our life. We must remember what happened at Pentecost. It changed His disciples, giving them power, purpose and direction. From that point on they were completely different people. Have we had a similar experience and if not have we wondered why? We should expect a similar change in our lives. Matthew 18:4 – “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” They can gain courage, develope servant hearts and live humble lives. Pride can be the greatest hindrance to Christians in having a spiritual experience.

It is not uncommon for men and women who have been Christians for some years to find themselves frozen in place. They have made a solid beginning…and stopped! They are not running, walking or even crawling. They are the embodiment of the Christians Paul criticized in his letter to the Corinthians. I Corinthians 3:1 – “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ.”

Hopefully, we can see the difference between those having a poor relationship with Christ and those who have given their lives to Christ and serve Him daily and those who have little contact with Jesus. Whose life do you think is receiving the greatest personal satisfaction? Every time I think I am doing fairly well spiritually God always gives me an example of how much more is available. I know that God inspires me to write but He doesn’t talk to me. If we only knew what God has available for each one of us and we were able to take advantage of it, what a difference it would make in our life. What would you be willing to do for wealth, power or fame? Do you not think God can give you more than the world could ever give you? It’s possible your greatest reward will come in heaven. Look what Philippians 2:8 – 11 God did for Christ: “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
But I must realize we are living in a world filled with greed, immorality and evil. The results of how the world lives can affect and to some degree influence every one of us. Isaiah 57:20 – 21 – “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” If you do not believe wicked men and women have been in control for a long time, you are naïve. Is there any way, in today’s world, we could get rid of the wicked and select leaders in business and politics and get those who would listen to the Holy Spirit and become obedient to God? My contention is that we, as a nation, have fallen too far spiritually to make that happen.

If we realize what we are being taught and government policies being imposed, it certainly is not what God is telling us as Christians. Scripture tells us these many leaders have little peace, they cannot rest and they are leading us. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who is listening to God, as a servant, obedient to His Word and promoting love and kindness leading us?

For those wondering what we believe God’s purpose for life is; I like what Rick Warren wrote in his book The Purpose Driven Life:
• To worship God and develop a relationship with Him.
• To love and fellowship with other believers in our community.
• To know Christ and become like Him.
• To serve God through the church.
• To become a minister for Christ and share the gospel.
If God has a further purpose for you, I believe you will only know by listening to God through His Spirit that is within you. You may be one of those special people that God has a specific purpose, in addition to the above. Many Christians have been given specific callings and the talents to carry them out. God will never ask us to do anything He has not prepared us to do.