ARE YOU READY TO MEET GOD

ARE YOU READY TO MEET GOD?

by Harold Camping

The return of Jesus Christ could be sooner than you think!

Are You Ready?

God Tells us in Ezekiel 33:3..."When he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people."

Are you ready to meet God? To test this question, let me present this situation:

suppose you went to the doctor for a test, and a few days later, you were told that you had a terrible, incurable illness that would take your life in the next thirty days. After the initial shock, would you begin to be increasingly at peace and in happiness that soon you would be leaving this life with all its tears and sorrows and would soon be in the glorious presence of your Savior?

Or, would you find an increasing bitterness and resentment in your soul that your life is being so quickly cut off. Such a careful examination can help you to know if you are ready to meet God.

Never before in the history of the world have so many people been at risk: More than five billion souls are in danger of meeting God face-to- face with no defense or covering for their sins. Every one of these people, men, women, and children, if he or she is not covered with Christ's robes of righteousness, will be found guilty of breaking God's law, and will be sent to Hell to forever suffer for his or her violations of God's law.

Don't think for a minute that there will be any comfort in the number of unsaved people because the Bible tells us in Luke 23:30: "Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us."

To plan to wait until the last minute before Christ returns and then repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness is very dangerous. God tells us that... "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2).

In fact, not one of us can know that we will be alive tomorrow. Not one of us is guaranteed another day. Therefore, the urgency to be ready to meet God is now.

Right now is the time to be ready for eternity. Every day, almost 200,000 people die. You or I could be one of the people who will die tonight, and then our eternal fate is set forevermore. Now is the time to cry to God for mercy and to repent of sins.

Don't believe it for a minute if you read a bumper sticker somewhere or if someone told you, "Oh, it's so wonderful that God has a wonderful plan for your life, and God loves you," unless you know that you have repented of your sins and have a sincere and deep desire to do only what pleases God. If you do not want to obey God's Word, the Bible, then you had better think about your spiritual condition. God tells us in Philippians 2:12:... "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

If you, dear reader, are not saved, there is still a little time to cry to God for mercy. If you have any doubts at all about your salvation, cry to God for mercy!

Look in your Bible at the reaction of the Ninevites to the proclamation of Jonah that in forty days Nineveh was to be destroyed (Jonah 3:4-9). Nineveh was a wicked and Godless city, in complete rebellion against the God of the Bible. Yet, they repented, and from information found in the New Testament, we can know that many of them became saved.

Are you ready to meet God? The God of heaven who spared the Ninevites is the same God who will spare you from the impending judgment if you cry to Him for mercy.

This is not a time for theological debate. This is not a time to trust in church doctrine or a pastor or a teacher or me. You must trust the Bible only. My earnest prayer and desire is that you will go to the Bible, know that God's judgment is coming on the unsaved and this world, and in repentance cry to God for Mercy. May He bless you abundantly through the work of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ

God's Thoughts

Author: Warren Wiersbe
Source: Prayer, Praise and Promises
Scripture Reference Psalm 92:5 Mark 13:31 Jeremiah 29:11 Isaiah 55:8 Psalm
139:17-18

God's Thoughts: Part 1

Read Psalm 139:17,18

A. W. Tozer used to say, "The only real world is the Bible world." Nothing
is more unsure than the world, for it is passing away. But the will and Word
of God will abide forever (see Mark 13:31). As we consider the character of
God's thoughts, we will want to do His will.

God's thoughts are personal (v. 17). They concern you and me. He makes the
individual and then plans for him. He knows all about us. Paradoxically, the
sovereignty of God is the basis for our freedom. If He were not on the
throne, this world would be run by chance. But the psalmist tells us that
life is not a gamble. God put your substance together and ordained your
genetic structure (vv. 13,14). We must use what He has given us for His
glory. And our obedience to His will reaches beyond this life, for our
future is wrapped up in God's plan for us (Jer. 29:11).

God's thoughts are precious (v. 17). Precious means "weighty, valuable." His
thoughts toward us are unique, tailor-made, and that makes them valuable.
When we accept God's plan for us and exercise believing faith, then He can
work out His perfect will in our lives. Remember, His thoughts are deep (Ps.
92:5); they are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8).

God's thoughts about you are more than mere "thoughts." They include His
purposes and His care. As you meditate on His thoughts, renew your
commitment to know and do His will for your life.

Author: Warren Wiersbe
Source: Prayer, Praise and Promises
Scripture Reference Acts 20:24 Genesis 15:5 Psalm 139:17-18

God's Thoughts: Part 2

Read Psalm 139:17,18

Yesterday, we learned that God's thoughts are personal and precious. They
are full of His purpose and care. Let's consider three additional
characteristics of God's thoughts.God' s thoughts are practical. Paul said,
"none of these things [tribulations] move me; nor do I count my life dear to
myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I
received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God"
(Acts 20:24). Paul was living to do one thing--finish his course. As we run
the race of life, following God's thoughts leads to fulfillment, courage and
the strength to continue.

God's thoughts are vast and inexhaustible (v. 17). How great is the "sum of
them." The Hebrew word for sum is plural. Thus, His thoughts just keep
growing. People who don't want to do the will of God live their lives in a
little bucket of water. But when we accept His will for our lives, we launch
out on an ocean of possibility. God said to Abraham, "You walk before Me and
do My will, and I am going to give you horizons like you've never seen
before" (see Gen. 15:5).

If you want to be a stagnant Christian, reject the will of God. You will not
grow, and you will miss what He has for you. He wants to do great things in
your life.God's thoughts are unfailing (v. 18). He works out His plans even
while we sleep. Adam went to sleep, and God gave him a wife. Abraham went to
sleep, and God worked out His covenant to him. God already has revealed
things about our daily living to us by His Spirit in the Scriptures.

Are you discouraged by events in your life or weary of the day's routine?
Think God's thoughts by reading His Word and obey His thoughts by doing His
will. He will work in your life. He will open horizons of blessing and help
you along your pilgrimage.

Dean Masters, owner of the Masters List

] I don't know what I'm doing wrong

I don't know what I'm doing wrong

It seems as though my life is just one long trial. As soon as I get past one crisis, another one crops up. Is God sending them to chastise and punish me? I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong."

God does not send trials to chastise or punish you. He has a better way to deal with you than that. To understand His way, however, you need to know clearly what the word "chastise" actually means. The Greek word chastisement as translated in the New Testament means "to instruct or to train." Hebrews 12:7-11 says our earthly fathers chastise (or train) us according to the flesh, but our heavenly Father chastises us in our spirit because He is the Father of our spirit.

Second Timothy 3:16-17

explains that He delivers that spiritual chastisement through His Word: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

The Word! That is what God

uses to train us - not trials and destructive circumstances. That's why James 1:13 says: "Let no man say when he is tempted (tested or tried), I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither will he tempt any man."

Some people ask, "Well

, what about those situations in the Old Testament when God sent curses on His people to teach them?"

God didn't send those curses!

The curse was already out there. It had been brought on by sin. So when the children of Israel were disobedient to God's Word, curses automatically came upon them. God told them in Deuteronomy 28 what was available - both blessings and curses - and the conditions for receiving both. Whether they lived in the curses or in the blessings depended on the choices they made.

God never inflicted anyone

with disease or anything listed under the curse. SATAN WAS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN THE ONE WHO KILLS, STEALS, AND DESTROYS (see John 10:10). When a man steps out from under the protection of God, Satan attacks. BY ERROR, God has been blamed for what Satan has been doing all these years. God is a blesser. Satan is the one who has been looking for every opportunity to bring on the curses.

So you never have to wonder

again if trials have been sent by God to correct you. He sent the Holy Spirit and His Word to do that. If you attend to the Word and yield to the Holy Spirit, the Word will keep you corrected, and you'll be showered with the blessings of God. Let me warn you, though. You'll still experience trials and tests. Satan will see to that. He'll use them to try to steal the Word from your heart. Mark 4:17-19 says he uses "persecution, afflictions, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things" to bring pressure on you and destroy your confidence in the Word of God. Don't let him succeed. Instead, when trials come, hold more strongly to the Word than ever. Stand immovable on it with your faith - and you will prevail!

Finally, remember that even when

you have sinned, you don't have to suffer God's punishment for it by going through persecution and trials. God is a God of mercy - not punishment. That's why He sent Jesus to the cross. Isaiah 53:5-6 says: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

That scripture tells us that God

literally placed on Jesus the punishment you and I deserve. To punish us as well after Jesus has already paid the price for our redemption would be an unthinkable miscarriage of the love and justice of God - both to us and to Jesus.

So if you have sinned, repent.

Confess your sin and don't sin anymore. Everyone stumbles and misses it from time to time. When you sin, don't run from God. Run to Him! He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Go and sin no more.

Once you've received your forgiveness

, take your authority over the devil. Tell him that you see through his strategy. Use the Word of God and command him in the Name of Jesus to stop in his maneuvers against you and your life.

Tell him that Jesus has redeemed you from the curse of the law

(Galatians 3:13). Ask for God's wisdom concerning the trial you're facing (James 1:2-5), and do what He tells you to do. Then watch the salvation of the Lord! He's provided everything you need to be more than a conqueror in every trial you face!