winter

What Are YOU Doing to Prepare?

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. By this time of year, I’m already longing to spend time with the Living God OUTSIDE on the front porch, but the beauty of the snow definitely helps lift my spirits while I wait for Spring. As I sat in the Presence of the Author and Perfecter of my Faith this morning and thanked Him for all things, I considered the snow and how that one simple act of nature can sometimes turn the world upside down. Just one little snowflake can inspire people to take action and prepare for the very worst, doing their part to ensure they stay safe and warm. Many people consider a good snowstorm the event of the year, and they prepare accordingly – all the while, the Biggest Event since the Creation of the world will take place One Day soon, and preparing for that Event never seems to enter their mind. Even though The End is coming beyond a shadow of a doubt…and the Projections are fierce…people put more time and energy into preparing for the snow than they ever do for the Return of Jesus Christ. Isn’t that the way you see it, too?

One scary news report about a “possible” snowstorm will empty out the shelves in the grocery stores within a matter of hours as people scurry through like termites. They panic over the idea that they might run out of food, and they buy as if it will be their last meal. They’re afraid of being stranded…they fear they’ll be without electricity…they cut wood and fill up bathtubs as if the end of civilization as we know it is near. Most of the time, even a heavy snowstorm only holds us up for a day or two, and yet plenty of people prepare as if they’ll be facing the Apocalypse instead of a dusting of snow. I wonder how it’s even possible that the threat of one little snowstorm can inspire the masses to prepare for the worst, while they seem to have no interest in Preparing for the End of all Time. “As in the days of Noah”…

The King is coming back as surely as I breathe, and absolutely nothing will stop Him. The Creator of the World set the Plan in motion a long time ago, and our Warning to Prepare has been issued for centuries. There may still be time to grab a few groceries even after the snow begins, but once the King comes back… there’ll be no turning back and no amount of begging will change the course or alter what is already Written. Being prepared for the Event of all Time is the most significant Preparation ANY of us can do…and IF we’re Prepared…we’ll go to the Place where there is no need to ever plan for any kind of catastrophe again! NO MORE PAIN OR SADNESS OR SICKNESS OR TEARS EVER AGAIN! Now THAT is something worth Preparing for!

I lean toward the practical side over things like snowstorms, and I don’t panic over the possibilities because the God who brings the snow is my Provider and Protector too! When the snow falls, I know that there will be enough food in the house for a few days, no matter how empty my cabinets appear to be. I know that I’ll be warm, and if the electricity should go out, we’ll have a fire to keep us warm. Sometimes I drive people crazy with my “carefree” approach to the disasters the world warns us about because they think I don’t take these things as seriously as I should. But when it comes to the Major Event for all mankind, I’M NOT CAREFREE AT ALL. It’s NOT ENOUGH FOR ME THAT I’M PREPARED…I want to be sure to help as many people as I possibly can be Prepared too! It’s not okay that I have all that I need to Spend Eternity in a Place so beautiful that my mind can’t begin to visualize it…I want to fill that Place up with as many people as I can WHILE I can. My Journey is Sealed, and I can’t lose my One Way Ticket, but there’s still plenty of Preparation I need to do…every day…until the End. Preparation of my own Heart to be sure that it’s Readied and Preparation to help others along is my Mission in this Journey of Faith. The outcome for the ones who don’t prepare for THAT “storm” will make every natural disaster they’ve ever worried about look like child’s play…and it will LAST FOREVER! So, I stay Busy every day making sure that I’m as Prepared as I can be, and I reach out to the world in hopes that I can help them Prepare too.

There’s just a little dusting of snow at the farm, and whether there is more coming or not, I sure won’t be panicking over something so simple when there’s a Major Event coming that needs my Time and Attention. It’s a nice thing to help someone through something like a snowstorm…it’s Life-Changing to help them Prepare for the Major Event of all Time…the Return of the King of all kings!

Amen?

The Frozen Flags of Faith…

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It was warm and windy for a few days last week and the Lord removed all signs of our recent snow..but things can change overnight. This morning the flags on the front porch were frozen and each little breeze caused them to crack. One day they’re blowing in the breeze and the next day they’re inhibited by ice. The drastic temperature differences in Virginia aren’t always easy to adjust to but I wouldn’t have it any other way. As I met with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith this morning, the drastic changes from warm temperatures to frozen flags on the porch kept running through my mind and I realized that this is the way it is with Life. One minute it’s warm and cozy and the next minute it’s cold as ice and that’s not so easy to adjust to either. But as long as we know how to prepare for the changes, and as long as we know Life is Destined to change overnight sometimes, we don’t fight against the flow of the Hand of God. We aren’t promised smooth sailing all the days of our lives but we ARE Promised an easy ride if we cling to the Will of a Mighty God frozen flags and all. Isn’t that the way it is with you sometimes too?

It’s mind-boggling how much people have to say about the weather. Second to politics (these days) they seem to talk about the weather more than anything else…including God. When you think about it, there are similarities in how people handle something as simple as the weather and how they handle Life. Virginia has four beautiful seasons and I wouldn’t trade them for a one-season, constant-temperature place for anything in the world. I like the drastic differences of the seasons, and the beauty that each one brings makes me appreciate the others even more. It’s as if God designed the timing of each season so that just when we think we’ve had enough, we switch to a new one with its own unique beauty…AND its own unique challenges. When it comes to this Journey called Life, the ONLY constant we have is the Living God. He’s the same “yesterday, today, and forever more” but everything else is subject to drastic change in the blink of an eye. Life can go from warm and cozy to cold as ice faster than we can say “Amen”- and it’s only when we accept that God Almighty has a Master Plan that we can find our Peace no matter the Temperature.

Some people cringe at the mere thought of freezing temperatures as if they’d be forced to sleep outside. Some people begin to sweat at the mere mention of higher temperatures as if they’d be forced to scorch in the sun. Some people run from the rain and others run from the snow and most of the rest are thrown for a loop when they experience a drastic change in either direction. I believe if we’d pause to consider how we handle something as unpredictable as the weather, we’d see some similarities in how we handle our Unpredictable Life too. Some dread the changes before they ever happen. Some lie awake at night imagining the worst. Some run and try to hide, while others are thrown for a loop when things drastically change overnight as if they thought things would always be the same. But nothing is the same except God Almighty, and He’s forever changing things around for His Purpose. He brings the storms to raise our Core Temperature and He’ll make it rain in our lives for as long as He thinks we need it. But just like the four seasons in Virginia…just when we think we’ve had enough, God brings the New Season along with its own Beauty and its own set of Challenges. It’s a wonderful Life when we understand that it comes with Drastic Changes and when we’re willing to surrender to the Will of an Amazing God no matter what.

God used the drastic change in the weather to Remind me that He’s the ONLY constant in my Life. He’s the same yesterday, today, AND FOREVERMORE and He’ll be there for me through it all. When my Life goes from warm and cozy to cold as ice I won’t whine or run, because I’ve lived through His Changes countless Times and I Trust His Plans for me. Just when I think I’ve “had enough” He’ll change the Season in His Time…a Season with beauty of its own and a whole new set of Challenges.

How about you?

A Different Day…But The Same Heart Still…

/ www.LivingLarger.life
No photo description available.

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Living God before the sun came up and I gave thanks for a warm dwelling on this cold day; a luxury many others don’t have. It’s 9 degrees this morning and the ice on the trees and the fields won’t be melting any time soon even though the sun is bright and beautiful. The temperature of the sun never changes, but even it can’t melt the ice if the atmosphere around the ice remains cold. As I stood there admiring the beauty of the icy limbs and the blazing sun, the Lord spoke to my Heart with a reminder of how this is what life will look like as we draw closer to the End. The Light of God will always be there and His “temperature” never changes…but there will always be icy ones that refuse to be melted no matter how Bright the Light of His Love shines. What an Amazing God to speak to my Heart through the icy limbs on a cold day.

It’s a dark world riddled with turmoil as the Spiritual war rages in the heavens. The more the Light of God shines, the icier the world becomes as the limbs relentlessly fight to remain just where they are with no interest in being warmed by the Son whatsoever. Sometimes when the Warmth seeps through even just a little, the icy ones fight even harder for their “right” to remain where they are. Jesus said “they will hate you because of me” and that’s true – but it’s not until we Shine the Light to Warm things up do we Understand just what Jesus meant by that. Fear of being hated will often silence Carriers of the Warmth so the ice keeps clinging to the trees like never before. All it ever takes for ice to melt is for the atmosphere around it to warm up, and when that happens the ice is powerless. I dream about what the icy world would look like if more Carriers of the Warmth were willing to Shine despite the hate they’d experience if they did. The “temperature” of the Living God never changes and He has the Power over all…BUT His people are commanded to Share the Warmth so we can change the atmosphere of the ice, and yet so many refuse to be hated because of Him.

The icy conditions don’t exist just because of the lost ones, they exist because of some Proclaiming to Know Jesus Christ too. There are lots of enemies in the Camp and they freeze over often when they hear things they don’t like or they choose to spread hate over Love. Sometimes they talk about Warmth, but the icy condition of their heart is what the world really sees, and the enemy rejoices to see one of God’s Warmth Carriers spitting out ice instead. We talk a lot about Revival but that’s a “be careful what you wish for” kind of thing. When Revival begins, the ice will rage even more than it does today, and those Willing to Share the Warmth of the Son will be hated like never before. The Good News is that One Day the Son will show Himself to the world again, and when He does, all the icy ones will melt at His feet and confess that He is Lord too. Now that’s a Good Dose of Warmth the icy ones need to hear and it’s what the Warmth Carriers share despite the hate we experience when we do.

God used a simple image of ice clinging to the limbs to ignite my Heart this morning. I’m Armed and Ready to Carry the Warmth of the Son to everyone, everywhere, despite what it might “cost” me. I experience more hate than most people can imagine but that only Propels me to Share more when I do. The Atmosphere around me is so warm that the icy ones feel it by what I say and how I Live. There’s absolutely nothing the icy ones can do to harm me but the harder they try, the harder I Work to be the best Carrier of Warmth I can possibly be. He died for me…I Live for Him. You can’t go wrong when you look at the Journey called Life what way!

How about you?