Shaking & Awakening

Shaking & Awakening

by Becky Dietz

I believe we’ve been through a time of shaking for the past few months.  The Coronavirus, the pandemic, and the quarantine created a shaking in our world.  In fact, because it was worldwide, it absolutely got our attention. I don’t know about you, but it’s been hard to focus.  We all thought we’d get so much done while we had to be still and inside, but it had the opposite effect.  There was so much information coming at us—and it was all so different—that we didn’t know what to believe.  The result was lots of fear.  Fear of not knowing what would happen next.  Fear of losing businesses or jobs.  Fear of not having enough groceries or the basic necessities of life.  And fear of a virus which could kill.  We were shaken.   

And then the unnecessary and gut-wrenching death of George Floyd was the explosive cannon shot which propelled us into an awakening.  It was the catalyst which made the Church begin to speak out about the hidden sin of racism.  It’s no longer enough to be a non-racist.  We have got to be anti-racists and fight it with all of our being.   We need to take a strong stand against treating ANY man, woman, or child created in the image of God differently.  It’s wrong for any people of color to question their worth or purpose in the kingdom of God.  It’s wrong for them to have to look over their shoulder or fear going into a new situation.  There is no one more or less valuable than another.  We may have always known racism was wrong—but we’ve been awakened to the need to strongly support and love all people!  It’s an awakening which has been needed for generations.  

God is doing a new thing.  Our eyes need to be wide open and we need to be listening to His voice.  I can promise we don’t want to miss what He’s going to do next.   He’s raising up Joshuas and Calebs...Esthers and Deborahs for such a time as this.  Have your hearts purified and prepared as He gets ready to expand His kingdom.  Don’t miss this epic opportunity!  

When It’s a Bad Reflection on You

When It’s a Bad Reflection on You

by Becky Dietz

We’ve all felt, at times, the impact of the choices others make is a reflection on us. It’s especially true if they’re our spouse, children, or parents.  Interestingly, as I looked for a photo of a reflection, I was directed to “images.”   That’s pretty profound!   We want to maintain our good image—and are afraid the choices of those close to us may adversely affect us.  

How does God handle how our choices affect Him?  I found the answer in Genesis 38. A little background...Judah is Jacob’s fourth son by Leah.  His name means “praise!”  He was jealous of his younger half-brother, Joseph, and suggested to his other brothers that they sell him to the Ishmaelites...and they did.  

Now Judah has a grown son who is married.  His firstborn was “wicked in the eyes of the Lord,” so God killed him.  It was customary for the next son to marry the widow and give her sons, so the second-born son married Tamar.  He was also wicked and died.  Judah promised the third son to Tamar after he grew up but never gave him out of fear he’d die also.  Judah’s own wife dies and he goes to shear sheep—but on the way, he stops and hires a “prostitute.”  It was actually Tamar posing as a prostitute—but she slept with him and kept his things to prove who was the father of her child should she get pregnant.  He was ready to have her killed when he learned she was pregnant—until she produced his signet, cord, and staff.  His words were, “she has been more righteous than I...”

What a terrible story!! I think if I’d been God, I would have left that one out of the book.  Instead, God prominently displays it.  Tamar had twins by Judah: Perez & Zerah.  In Matthew 1:3 it says, “And Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar and Perez begot Hezron...”.  These verses are talking about the lineage of Christ.  

How does God handle it when His kids behave badly and are a poor reflection of who He is?   He tells the story. He redeems it.  He embraces it.  He uses it.  

Jesus Christ, the lion of Judah!

That Gut Feeling

I was reading Genesis 27 this morning.  It’s the story of Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing—at the encouragement of his mother, I might add.  

Here’s what struck me.  Isaac was almost blind.  But Jacob knew his father might touch him—and he had baby-smooth skin compared to Esau’s hairy skin.  And he knew Esau had an earthy scent.  So he deceived his father by wearing the skin of an animal and Esau’s clothing.  

SIX TIMES...six times Isaac had a gut instinct. 

1.  Vs. 18-19. “Who are you my son?”

2.  Vs. 20. “How is it that you found it (wild game) so quickly?”

3.  Vs. 21. “Please come near that I may feel you.”

4.  Vs. 22.  “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

5.  Vs. 24. “Are you really my son Esau?”

6.  Vs. 26-27.  “‘Come near and kiss me, my son.’ And he came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him.”

Six times, there was a check in Isaac’s spirit.  Six is the number of man. Six times there was a check, and he examined it—and Jacob.  But he was deceived.  

This story today just made me think of all the checks I’ve had in my gut recently.  I keep checking facts, examining, questioning.  But if I don’t ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to TRUTH, I’ll be deceived.  

Just like Isaac.  

I’m so DISTRACTED!!

I’m so DISTRACTED!!

by Becky Dietz

Am I the only one?   I thought with a quarantine, I’d get so much accomplished.   I thought I’d spend a lot of time in the Word and journal about deep and meaningful things. I have about five books I want to read. I thought I’d be sending lots of encouraging notes.  I thought I’d be calling people and checking on them every day.  I thought I’d find creative ways to minister.  I even thought I’d watch some really good movies and maybe do a jigsaw puzzle.  

Instead...I’ve been so distracted!!   I never knew I had a short attention span.  Or maybe I haven’t until now.  Maybe it’s the uncertainty.  Or maybe it’s just being told to stay in my house.  Maybe it’s wondering what happens next.  But whatever it is, I just can’t seem to concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time.  

As I talked to God about this, He began to comfort me and pull me in closely.  I told Him I haven’t been fearful—I think I’m just feeling the uncertainty of the times—things are shaking! So He reminded me that He’s the ONLY ONE who holds all truth and the ONLY ONE who knows what the future holds. In fact, He said I’d be wise to get all of my information from HIM instead of the media.  It’s helped a lot!!  I wouldn’t say I have a new attention span...but my focus has shifted to the One who has the answers.  Our world has been shaken—but we are standing on solid ground—the Rock, Christ Jesus!

You Were Created Differently

You Were Created Differently

by Becky Dietz

When I read a story in the Bible, I almost always identify with the good guy, don’t you?   Well this morning, God showed me I was Cain, not Abel.  

God created these two men differently.  And with that difference, came distinct expectations.  You have to know that God had told Cain, the ground tiller, what was expected when he harvested his crops.  He was to bring his firstfruits FIRST.  He may have even been instructed to have an 8-day feast including 2 days of sabbath, like Moses was instructed later.  Abel, on the other hand, was a shepherd and God’s expectation from him was a blood sacrifice of the firstborn of his flock.  God always told man what the requirements were for obedience beforehand.  And then He required complete obedience. 

Abel obeyed.  It says “in the process of time, Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.”   Not the firstfruit.  And not when God said. 

The interesting thing is Cain became jealous of Abel.  He didn’t take responsibility for his own disobedience.  He didn’t acknowledge that God had created them differently and had unique expectations for each of their livelihoods.  He was just mad at Abel because he received God’s respect, acceptance, and favor.  (Which by the way, is a basic need of each of our hearts.)  God confronted Cain with truth: “Why are you angry?  If you’ll just OBEY...you’ll find respect, acceptance, and favor.  If you continue to disobey, sin will devour you. But I’m telling you—you can rule over that sin!”

Yes...I’m Cain.  I want everyone to be held to the same standard of requirements which God has for me.  Do we have some of the basic requirements for obedience?  Of course!   But God has also created us uniquely and individually with expectations all our own.  It’s easy for me to get jealous when someone else just has to kill an animal when I must prepare an 8-day feast including two sabbaths.   And that difference can lead to murder in my heart.  

I don’t want to be Cain.  I want to value the differences which God has created for each of us. I want to focus on complete obedience—because I want to live in the favor of God.  And I want the same for you.  We can’t demand that everyone fit our mold; instead, let’s respect and appreciate the differences of one another!  God created us uniquely for a reason.  

How Do I Know Jesus’ Return is Soon?

First of all...what is Jesus’ return?   And who is it for?  Most Christians call it the Rapture—even though the Bible never uses that word. I Thessalonians 4:13-17 clearly tells us that Jesus is returning for those who have followed him with all of their hearts.  Believers.  But not just those who’ve said, “Yes, there is a God.”   But those who have put their full faith in God and have made Him the boss of their lives and have followed him with their whole hearts.  So this is a time to examine ourselves.  Do we have that kind of faith?   Have we asked God to forgive us of our sins and invited Him into our lives and made Him Lord (or boss) of our lives?   Are we following and obeying Him?   If you haven’t, you can do that today!   It’s simple—just admit to God you’re a sinner and you need Him to forgive you.  Give Him your heart and invite Him into your life. He will come in—and He’ll never leave.  That’s who Jesus is coming for!

Matthew 24 says when we see these signs being fulfilled, we can know Jesus’ return is near.  Amos 9, Jeremiah 30, Isaiah 11 & 43 all talk about the people of Israel coming back to their home.  The world thought that would never happen—because Israel didn’t even exist for centuries.  But in 1948, Israel became a nation—and people have been coming back “home” by the thousands.  

When I went to Israel a few years ago, a man told me, “If you see anything green, take a picture!”   He described Israel as rocky, dry, and desolate.  But when I got there, it was lush and green.  This is a fulfillment of prophecy in Isaiah 41!   We’re told Israel will be fruitful and lush in the last days.  Did you know it was Israel who invented drip irrigation?   It’s changed their country and they’re now feeding the world. 

In Matthew 24:32-34, Jesus is answering the disciples about the last days.  He’s talking about Israel when he talks about the olive branch.  “When it’s tender (when Israel is newly established), you can know my return is right at the door.  In fact, this generation will not pass away until these things take place.”   Many scholars believe this means that the generation who sees Israel becoming a nation will be alive when Jesus returns!

How else do I know Jesus’ return is soon?  Because there will be people who say, “People have been saying Jesus is coming back for YEARS—and it hasn’t happened yet!”   II Peter 3:3 says, “ Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

You might want to be looking up!

 

Signs of the Last Days

I’ve been reading through Revelations this month and have decided to attempt this subject—even though I’m no eschatology expert.  But I’ve been taught about the last days for most of my life and do know a few things to share.  Actually, I feel an urgency to share them!

As I’ve read through Revelations, what has struck me is how precise God is and what a detailed timeline He has.  So we can assume if He’s always been this detail oriented (and He has been), He’s just as concerned about details today. He’s given us signs to look for and most are being fulfilled and even escalating  in our lifetime.  I believe we are quickly heading towards the rapture—the time Jesus will return for the Church, His bride.  

What are the signs?

1. Many will say they are Christ. Matthew 24:5. The list of those who’ve claimed to be Christ has grown exponentially in the past two decades.  

2. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  Matthew 24:6. We hear of new wars every day. Just Google “Wars in this century.”

3. There will be famines, pestilences (or plagues), and earthquakes in various places.  Matthew 24:7.  Our world is experiencing unprecedented famines—with over 30 million suffering from hunger.  We’ve just experienced a worldwide plague—the CoronaVirus.  You can see hundreds of earthquakes happening in real time on the web.  A few years ago, I saw a chart of earthquakes and it looked exactly like a monitor of birth contractions.  

4.  Knowledge and travel will increase.  Daniel 12:4.  As of today, knowledge is doubling ever 13 months.  In the past century, we’ve gone from horse and buggy travel to flying across the world—and think nothing of it!  In fact, it’s how the CoronaVirus has spread so quickly across our globe!

5. Men will be lovers of themselves.  II Timothy 3:2. We’ve seen “selfies” explode in the past 5 years.  Psychology is teaching us to think of ourselves first.  

6. Men will be lovers of money.  II Timothy 3:2  Any time there is a financial crisis or the stock market fluctuates too much, there is a panic.  This has only grown.  

7. Children will be disobedient to parents.  II Timothy 3:2. We have TV shows like Supernanny because of the increase of disobedient children.  Ask any principal or teacher—disobedience is on the rise!

8. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.  II Timothy 3:4. I think we all fight this trend.  It’s so easy to get caught up in social media rather than spending time in the Word or prayer.  It’s sometimes a hard choice—our children’s sporting events or church.  

9. People will be abusive and brutal.  II Timothy 3:3. Children suffer from abuse daily. In fact, we were warned abuse would increase during the quarantine of CoronaVirus. Brutalities are the subject of many video games and movies. Real life brutalities against total strangers are ever-increasing.    

10. Always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  II Timothy 3:7.  A quest for knowledge is on the rise.  We are constantly learning with a vast store of knowledge available at our fingertips.  And yet there are so many false narratives out there—but do we dig to know the truth?  Do we search the heart of God?  Do we read the Word of God—which IS truth?

11. People will be declaring “peace and safety” when destruction comes.  I Thessalonians 5:3  The UN has been calling for “peace and security (safety)” since 2016.  And it’s become their mandate during the CoronaVirus.  

I haven’t listed all of the signs.  Read Matthew 24, II Timothy 3, Daniel 12, I Thessalonians 5 (and others) for yourselves.  There are so many important signs you’ll see.  In Matthew 24:33, it says, “When you see all these thing, know that it is near—even at the door.  

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what your your Lord is coming.”  Matthew 24:42

“Behold I am coming as a thief.  Blessed is he who watches...” Revelation 16:15

BE WATCHING!