In Revelation 5:10, we are told something fundamental as to who we are as Christians: “And [Christ] have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” We are told the same in Revelation 1:6. We are here now as physical people—flesh and blood human beings. But our potential before us is to become spiritual kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. The thought that occurred to me is that in order for this to happen, we have to think like kings and priests NOW.

We should constantly take note of Christ’s perfect example. He was and is our King and our High Priest. The Bible says we are to become like Him. Philippians 2:5-9 tells us: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”

Before Christ became a human being, He was a divine part of the God Family. But He laid His divinity aside to become an obedient servant, willing to serve. If we wish to become kings and priests, then we too need to take on Christ’s mindset of being a servant.

So what does it take to have this mindset? We find our answers in the Holy Scriptures.

God commanded the kings of Israel to write out the Law of God that the priests kept, and they were to constantly read it so that they would be mindful of how they should be ruling as servants of the Most High.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 states: “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.”

The king’s mind was to be on God and His laws. If we are unwilling to read from the Word of God, then we will NOT be led by God. It is plain and simple. If we do NOT believe what we read, then we will NOT be led by God. Action and faith go hand in hand here. We cannot have one without the other. Some may say the Bible is good and all, but I am just too tired, or I don’t read well, etc. There will always be a million excuses as to why we cannot do something which we should.

We have to have the mindset of being kings and priests. Our mindset is everything. We alone are in charge of our mindset. God has allowed us to choose. The question then is, what will we allow our mindset to be focused on?

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Paul reminds us of how we should be thinking: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Strongholds are mental blocks; things that we hold in our minds and against which we must fight. These strongholds can be anything. A stronghold can be a wrong personal attitude or self-righteousness. Worry can be a stronghold. Seeking the approval of other people can be a stronghold. Anything that we make into an idol in our lives can be a stronghold, including, but not limited to, fear, guilt, resentment, insecurities and self-pity. All of these things can be strongholds in our minds. Notice, it says that we must bring EVERY thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and that we must be ready to punish ALL disobedience.

We ALL have either faced these challenges or are facing them now. The ONLY way to overcome them is to come to God and change our mindset. We have to think as God wants us to think, learning how to bring our thoughts into focus and alignment with God’s teaching.  Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:13: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Luke 12:35 states that we must “…let our waist be girded and our lamps burning.” This means, we must be ready for action. We must be ready in our minds at all times in being a Christian and having a Christian attitude and mindset. Christ warned in Mark 7:14-23 that everything evil comes from within us. And when evil is in our minds, then we must continually fight it.

The right and perfect mindset is one that is set on God. One that is humble, teachable, loving and merciful. One that listens to those who are in authority and gives reverence. Paul once again speaks to each of us in Philippians 2:12-17: “ Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.”

When we have the mindset of being kings and priests, we will do everything in our power to continue in this way because we realize what our potential is and how soon that potential is coming to reality.

To be truly dedicated takes commitment and long-suffering with much patience.  It’s a life-long commitment to follow God’s laws, especially if we have chosen to live that way when God has called us out of this world to something far greater which will only be manifested at its full potential when Christ returns back to this earth to establish His Kingdom.  Then we will see what we have been longing for our whole lives.  But before we get to that point, we need to evaluate ourselves by truly asking how dedicated we are in the Church of God.  As we live our daily lives, being preoccupied with our jobs, school, activities and such, do we sometimes wonder if we are dedicated enough; that is, dedicated in our spiritual lives, what we believe in, and also dedicated to our Bible studies?  Are we dedicated to the Work of God and to our calling?  We like to believe that this is true since fruits have shown how the Work has progressed, how the Word has gone out, and how we, the called-out ones, have listened and responded.

It takes dedication to keep the Sabbath, ALL of God’s commanded Holy Days, ALL of God’s laws and statutes and to LIVE by them.  We devote our time, our efforts and ourselves to a particular purpose, the very choice we made for something far greater.

We have committed ourselves to God because we trust in Him (Psalm 37:5; 31:1-5).  We also show a dedication to the Work, which God has indeed blessed and it’s amazing how much we are in fact getting done even with our limited resources.  However, with God, there is no limit.  God tells us in Proverbs 16:3 that if we commit our works to God, our thoughts will be established.  The Work and this Church have certainly been established with much more work to do on the horizon.  It requires a lot of faith, patience and trust.

We have also devoted ourselves to God and by doing that, with the right attitude, we can expect God to truly bless us (compare 2 Chronicles 31:4-12).   Proper tithing does in fact bring forth blessings, and it does take a certain type of devotion to God to do it correctly with faith, not grudgingly with doubt.

By keeping God’s Law, we sacrifice what the world has to offer, for we have given up something valued in “man’s eyes” for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.  It took a sacrifice to attend ALL of God’s Feast Days and to keep the weekly Sabbath day, for example.  What are we sacrificing?   By living God’s Way, we are living sacrifices.  Romans 12:1-2 states: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

By doing good and sharing, we also offer a sacrifice which is pleasing to God (Hebrews 13:15-16).   When we fast occasionally or when we observe the Day of Atonement, we sacrifice the physical food and drink and replace it with spiritual food and drink.  We sacrifice for something better by humbling ourselves to God (compare Leviticus 23:26-32; 1 Kings 21:27-29).

By dedicating our lives to God, there is no doubt that God will bless us for it.  The Bible proves that God had blessed others like Abraham (read, for example, Hebrews 6:14), and all he had to do was obey.  In Haggai 2:15-19 God promises blessings as He says in verse 19.   Because we keep God’s Law, we also fear God in the correct manner as explained in Psalm 128:1-6.  And when we continue in this way by being truly dedicated, God will bless us!  “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).

Having been a baptized member of the Church of God since 1974, I have seen many people come to and leave the Church. They had enthusiastically “joined” the Church, but then something bothered them, and they left. Sometimes, it had bothered them for years. They were unable or unwilling to cope with it, until the opportunity arose which seemed to make their departure legitimate and justified. But it never is.

I have observed entire groups following “their” minister out of the Church when he found fault with the Church’s teachings; this happened in 1974 and 1975 when the Church’s doctrine on Pentecost and on divorce and remarriage was clarified; that happened in 1978 when a high-ranking minister was disfellowshipped, due to inappropriate personal conduct, and when he then started his own church organization to which many flocked; it also happened in 1979 when the Attorney General of the State of California launched his illegal and blatantly unconstitutional attack on the Church, while embracing the support of disgruntled members and ministers; and it happened of course on the largest scale, up until now, after Herbert Armstrong’s death in 1986, when the new leadership dismantled and destroyed everything which we had embraced and proven to be the Truth.

Since then, we have seen further departures from the Church by individuals or entire families. We have also observed many splits amongst church groups, with some of them being justified and required, while others were not. But the Bible predicts that a more or less “organized” falling away from the Truth is still going to occur (Matthew 24:10-12), approximately at the same time when the “Man of Sin” will appear who will sit “as God” in the “Temple of God,” claiming to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Since being in God’s Church, I have witnessed the fulfillment of some prophetic events, but only recently has the fulfillment reached a degree which was unheard of in the past. Judging from the signs of the times, and looking at the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-33), we know that the time is short; that the Day of Christ’s return is near; but also, that the Great Tribulation is just about upon us.

The unspeakable tragedy in these final hours is that Church members will give up and throw in the towel… even though they should be strengthened in their spirit and lift up their heads with encouragement when they see what is happening all around them (Luke 21:28). The Berlin Wall fell in 1989—so many years ago—but since then, Europe has been uniting, and now, as never before, voices demanding a unified army are getting louder and louder. Such an army is now within reach, and its strong military leader of German or Austrian descent, who is of course alive, will arise and manifest himself very soon.

Ever since President Trump came to power, the relationship between Europe and the USA, which was never that great to begin with, has deteriorated in unique and unparalleled ways, which will ultimately lead to a nuclear war between these two power blocs. Even though the Brexit debacle has been a constant and somewhat tiresome theme in the media for years, the ultimate outcome is predetermined: There will be a Brexit, and the consequence will be a further deterioration between the UK and the EU, which will culminate in a nuclear war between these two powers. All of this is prophesied; it HAS to happen, and it will.

After President Trump came to power, the relationship between the USA and Israel, which was not that friendly under President Obama, improved tremendously, and more and more demands are made for the building of the Third Temple, which some time back would have been unthinkable. Many ascribe a providential role to President Trump, comparing him to King Cyrus who helped the Jews to build the Second Temple.  (We believe this too, and so we know that President Trump is not going to be forced out of office through impeachment, but rather, that he will be re-elected in 2020, as he will have to stay in power to fulfill his role of what has been biblically prophesied.) But when the Third Temple is being built and animal sacrifices are being brought again on the Temple Mount, Europe will intervene militarily with the declared goal of bringing peace to the region which will be rocked by turmoil, terrorist attacks, local wars and terrible aggression among Jews and Arabs.

KNOWING all this, why is it that in these critical times, members of the Church of God lose heart and walk away? Why are they forgetting Christ’s admonition to hold fast what they have so that they don’t lose their crown (Revelation 3:11)? Why do they forget that it is because of them—the elect or the chosen ones—that mankind will survive (Matthew 24:22)? But they will of course only be and remain to be part of the elect if they don’t give up and walk away.

Satan does not want anything more than to destroy mankind… and especially the people of God. And he will do everything he can to get to God’s people. He knows our weaknesses. Do we have problems with authority in general and with Church authority in particular? Satan will come in and use that weakness to get us out of the Church. Do we have problems and disagreement with any particular Church teaching or any particular Church practice? Satan will come in to use that disagreement and see to it that it grows in our lives to the point that we leave the Church.

But in walking away from the Church of the living God—which is the body of Christ, the foundation and pillar of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15)—we cut ourselves off from the vine (John 15:1). Whatever the reason for our departure, we will be the branches which will wither away (John 15:6). And even if we don’t leave voluntarily, but keep on harboring disagreements with God’s Church in our lives, losing the love of God and becoming hostile to Him, God can cut us off (Romans 11:22), and He will do so if this becomes a necessity in order to prevent us from sowing discord and causing divisions among brethren (Proverbs 6:19; Romans 16:17).

When Christ returns, He will be asking the fundamental question: Will He really find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8)? Some will have the required faith, but how many? God could not even find ten righteous people in Sodom. We are warned that in these last days, the righteous and faithful people will be disappearing more and more (Psalm 12:1). This must not happen to us. We must not give in to Satan’s evil devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). We must stay close to God and resist Satan, and he will flee from us, while God will lift us up (James 4:7-10). And THEN, we will receive our crown of glory when Christ returns (1 Peter 5:4) … in the very near future.

After we had such an inspiring and joy-filled Feast of Tabernacles, it does not take Satan long to start creating problems for and among the brethren. After all, he is the accuser of the brethren, an agitator and a provocateur, and he is like a vicious roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He discourages and causes problems for us in the hope we will fall short of the mark.

Some, returning from the Feast, had difficulty with flight delays and some had to stay in a hotel overnight due to flight interruptions. One couple came home to a flooded basement due to a water-valve failure.

I came home to find only two of my nine chickens were alive. Some wild animal killed seven of them while we were away, due to the failure of those who were supposed to take care and feed them according to my instructions.

So we can expect more trials and tests as we settle into the coming winter months, with shorter days and inclement weather in various parts of the country.

Trials and tests are part and parcel for those who are seeking to obey God, and we only need to read what Paul, an apostle of Christ, went through. He outlined and summarized his experience in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, which included beatings and being stoned, as well as the added stress of care for the brethren and church congregations.

In spite of all this, he never took his eyes off the reward and his crown which he would receive from Christ at His coming and at the end of the race. This is such an encouragement and example for us. As he endured and remained faithful to the end, so can we, since it is unlikely that we will have to experience all the trials that he went through.

There will be several long months until the Spring Holy Days, so let us ensure we stay close to God by not neglecting our responsibilities in our efforts to further the Work of preaching the Gospel to the world as a witness and never taking our eyes off the great reward that lies ahead.

Having just returned from the last of the annual Fall Holy Days of God, reality is settling in. In much of Western Society, Halloween has been observed by tens of millions of utterly deceived people.

In my neighborhood there are the relevant displays. One in particular catches my attention when I leave the house. It is of macabre inflatable Halloween figures positioned in front of a nearby home. Due to the cold weather, these rather cheap displays often deflate and have to have more air pumped into them.

This is, in a sense, not so unlike the whole commercialization of this world’s maddening observance of customs and practices which have absolutely no godly or biblical basis. But there is a real source and unyielding support for these celebrations—it is Satan!

It is revealed by God that the whole world is not only deceived (Revelation 12:9), but that it lies under the powerful influence of Satan (1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

And so it will go—with Christmas, Easter and Sunday observances—by those who read the Bible and little realize what they are really doing! Paul’s warning to the Church of God in Ephesus still holds true, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

As Christians, we have to contend with these things, and in our calling to the Truth of God, we often face serious trials—especially among our unconverted families. And yet, some who have known of the demonic influence in this world’s religious holidays (especially Halloween) have chosen to return to their observance and bondage to Satan:

“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’” (2 Peter 2:20-22).

God established the Sabbath—the seventh day of the week. Observance of the Sabbath is a sign between God and His people (Exodus 31:12-18). Likewise, the annual Sabbaths of God and their observance is commanded by God. Satan, on the other hand, promotes his own false days and seasons, and, indeed, what he inspires marks those who follow him.

As the darkness of deception blinds humanity, God has called us to be examples, and just as Jesus Christ came into the world to be its light, so let us, as true Christians, also shine to this, our generation.

Most of us live very busy lives with many activities taking up our time. And of course most of these activities are required as a part of living life. We strive after a great number of objectives. Early on it may be education. Later, employment to earn a living. Then we may seek a marriage and to start a family. Somewhere amongst all this we need a place to live, to either rent or buy. Later on we may look for a retirement accommodation.

All of these are usually necessary parts of life, but God gives us a direction in Matthew 6:31-33. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or, ‘What shall we drink?’ Or, ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Verse 31 in other translations is rendered “Do not be anxious” or even “Do not be over-anxious”. Verse 32 reminds us that God is fully aware that we have certain needs. But the overall emphasis on this section of Scripture in Matthew 6 is on putting our first priority on God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. It is right to plan and prepare for our needs but these plans and preparations must come second to desiring the Kingdom of God.

This same emphasis and order is also stated in Matthew 6:10. After hallowing God’s name, we are told to pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His Will to be done on earth. And after this we are we to pray for our daily needs. We know that God’s Will is summed up in His commandments, statutes and judgements. If we want to know what righteousness is, we read in Psalm 119:172 that all of God’s commandments are righteousness.

Looking at the world today, none of its ways are in accordance with God’s Will. Considering the political system, some leaders are despots, others make promises to be elected that they do not intend, or that they are unable, to keep. Many cannot be trusted. Our education system does not like to acknowledge God’s revealed Truth. They mainly teach evolution without a Creator and that morality is relative, depending on the circumstances.

What about the medical system? In some highly developed countries, medicine can be extremely expensive and with poor outcomes. Many bankruptcies are the result of medical expenses. In the legal system, to receive some form of justice may depend on the wealth of the plaintiff or the accused. We could also look at business or agriculture. The pursuit of money is usually the most important factor. We often hear in the news of dubious business practices where some have been fined or jailed for their illegal actions.

Yes, at times, we can read of some good examples in all of these systems, but the fact that they are written about indicates they are not the usual cases, but rather rarities, otherwise they would not be reported.

But when the Kingdom of God is established and ruling over the earth, all of this will change. The leaders will not have to make promises in order to be voted into office. Neither will they lead coups or military takeovers. God will establish righteous government, so when an official says in that day, “I am from the government, I am here to help you,” this will be a true statement.

The education system will be based on God’s Word and obedience to Him. In Proverbs 1:7 we read, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Also Psalm 111:10 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.” Education will emphasise godly wisdom and understanding as well as knowledge.

Again, under the ruling Kingdom of God, there will be divine healing. Interestingly, we read in Ezekiel 47:12 that some medicines will grow on trees provided by God—the trees being watered by water flowing from the sanctuary of God.

In the legal system, God has instructed the judges to judge righteously and not to show partiality (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). Even in business and agriculture, God has given instructions not to cheat in measurements and to consider the land and the animals, to look after them. All of these instructions will be enforced in the Kingdom of God. It will be a time when people can trust and be trusted, a time of peace and security.

So it will be a whole new world, something to look forward to with our full being. And for us in the Church of God, if we endure to the end, there is the promise of joy and pleasures with God forevermore (Psalms 16:11).

The Good News Version sums up Matthew 6:33 very effectively, “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.”

At this time of the year, the Feast of Tabernacles, which pictures the coming of God’s Kingdom on earth, is just over a week away. We should especially seek first and think about the Kingdom of God during this time. Doing so will make the Feast so much more meaningful for us all.

Recently, we had hail damage to an automobile totaling several thousand dollars.  Our insurer covered the cost of repairs.  Several years ago we filed an insurance claim for damage to our roof, also from hail, which insurance covered as well.  These kinds of unexpected natural occurrences are usually covered by insurance, to a point.  We know of someone who was dropped from their insurance company for filing too many claims for roof damage.

While it seems counterintuitive to lose insurance for using it, insurance companies are built on calculating risks.  One consumer advocate states, “Filing more than one claim per year could cause your insurance company to drop you. So, say your vehicle is vandalized a few times, or stolen, or your vehicle is carried away by a flood, you’ll make a claim with your insurer, and rightfully so, but making too many claims (of any type) can make you too expensive of a customer to keep around” (clark.com).

Most of the industrialized world relies on the insurance industry for protection of property and health issues.  But we know that reliance on these institutions is not lasting, nor will they stand for long with the nearing judgement upon mankind.  The prophet Daniel stated, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Everyone who is found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).  Reliance on anything that is of man will not deliver or protect oneself in the Day of the Lord. Any assurances we give ourselves, that aren’t focused on God, will be worthless.  As Ezekiel stated of this time, “…Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them In the day of the wrath of the LORD…” (Ezekiel 7:19).

God has based the growth of His family on risk as well.  But He stands by the choice to call each of us as long as we commit to relying upon Him for true salvation.  “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7 ESV).

Judgement for sin is an inevitable truth that the world ignores.  Our escape from this judgement is being built daily as each of us strives to overcome the sins that ensnare this world.  The meaningful acts of God are “…faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

God’s Holy and infallible Word is our best assurance for the future events that will unfold upon this earth.  It was decreed to His angels to conduct themselves soon in this way: “‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed…” (Revelation 7:3-4). Let’s be sure that each of us invests in our insurance plan with God—today—before calamities are at our door.

In the current state of world events, are we inured or are we in the process of becoming inured by the constant reports of widespread and worldwide problems which must surely be leading to the end of this age? Do we just accept more bad news without thinking too much about it? After all, bad news is a staple diet of modern reporting.

A good definition of inure is “to habituate to something undesirable, especially by prolonged subjection; accustom.” A synonym of inure is hardened. So, putting it another way, are we or have we become used to and hardened to all that is happening around the world? I think it is a good question to ask.

Yet again, I bring up the story of our old friend, the frog in boiling water, and how often he has been mentioned over the years in the Church of God – and with very good reason. If there are any reading this and don’t know the story, suffice to say that “the premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of sinister threats that arise gradually rather than suddenly” (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Whether the story is true or not is immaterial, but the lesson we can learn is invaluable.

It can be so easy to see details of the latest tragedy or calamity and just accept that this is the way society is. One such item, one of many, was in a “Money Marketing” e-mail that I saw in early August 2019. The piece read: “By volume, 90% of world trade goods are transported by sea. There are around 53,000 ships in the world’s merchant fleet, 5,000 of which are container ships, and the largest of those carries more than 20,000 containers. Without these ships, many countries could not participate in global trade, and consumers would have to absorb the increased costs, making the world poorer.” I thought about Revelation 8:8-9 where it states that “a third of the ships were destroyed!” A third of 53,000 is 17,667 ships and think of the number of containers that would be lost, plus cruise ships and others. It’s not just about the present but how that will play out during the time of trouble just ahead of us.

It can be pretty easy in these days of mass communication to read, hear or see the very latest events on the world scene, and we ought “to cry and sigh for all the (many) abominations” (compare Ezekiel 9:4) that surround us, but if we transpose this to the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, we may be able to see, in some part, just what a terrible time it really will be. We must remember the admonishment by Jesus Christ to “Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

The Feast of Trumpets is a central Holy Day in God’s plan and the people of God will be celebrating this Holy Day on Monday 30th September. This festival pictures that time that is just ahead of us—a time of terrible trouble that should Christ not return, no flesh would be saved alive (Matthew 24:22). Preceding that time, there will be so many problems—all created by man through the influence of Satan—that the troubles that we can currently “cry and sigh” about will pale by comparison.

Let us make sure that the “frog” doesn’t influence us, that we can really appreciate what is going on in the world today and extrapolate this to the time of terrible trouble just ahead, and we will, in no way, be inured to the terrible things that we now see on a daily basis.

Do we comprehend the power of God? God’s magnificent power and glory are revealed in Exodus 33:20 where Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, says, “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me, and live.” And no one has seen God the Father and His glory at any time either (John 1:18; 5:37). On the other hand, both God beings have revealed Their power and glory through visions to Ezekiel in chapter 1 verse 26-28 and to Daniel in Daniel 7:9-14. Also, God’s omnipotence was explained to Job in the book of Job, chapters 38 and 39. God reveals in Matthew 19:26 that for God, ALL things are possible, which shows us His unlimited power. It is further stated in Jeremiah 32:17 that there is nothing too difficult for Him.

There are no limits when it comes to God. He is infinite, All-knowing, ALL-capable, All-powerful and He is the Omega, the very Beginning of everything. He says: “I AM who I AM” (Exodus 3:14). There is no one else out there like God. There are no restrictions when it comes to His ability to do ANYTHING, and NOTHING happens against His Will.

And yet, many still have doubts. Many still don’t believe what He is capable of, and they limit His abilities in their minds. Look at the examples of the people of Israel who survived because of God’s unlimited power and the miracles that He had carried out (compare Jeremiah 32:18-23, 27). How quickly they forgot when they were faced with trials and tests which lead to disobedience

They limited God and His power, diminishing their expectations of their God. They didn’t remember His power—all those miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, in the wilderness when God provided food, at the Red Sea, and when He brought them to the Promised Land. They failed to remember.

Do we sometimes diminish our expectations of all He can do? We need to realize that God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what is best for us. And yet, we still may have many questions as to why. Why doesn’t He answer our prayers right away? Why won’t He give us what we desire immediately? God wants us to succeed. Distractions can become distracting and we may begin to lose our focus. God is full of blessings, but we may doubt at times His willingness to bless us because more often than not, we are in the “now” moment. We want things to happen right away. That may be good or bad. In certain respects, wanting to change our bad ways right away is good. But I’m referring more to our selfish motives. God says in Malachi 3:6: “For I am the LORD, I do not change.” He is forever the same, and He wants to bless us and desires that we become born-again members of His Family.

There are many miracles in the Bible that God performed, and God still does perform miracles for us today. There are miraculous healings at times—situations that we are in that only God can solve when we ask Him in prayer. Also through our commission in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world, God does miraculously call people to the Truth which is nothing that man can do (Romans 8:28) because it is God who calls people through the Work that we are doing (compare John 14:12-14; Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20).

The power through the Holy Spirit is essential in our daily lives. When Christ was here on earth as a human being, He went through many temptations that we go through today, and God the Father gave Him strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to get through trials. We can today receive God’s Holy Spirit of power through baptism (compare Acts 1:5-8; Luke 24:44-49; Romans 8:1-17). The commission that God has given us to do cannot be done through our own power, and Christ could not have accomplished what He did by His own human power.

God provides protection and does the fighting for us, just as is stated in Exodus 23:27;14:14. Throughout the Bible, we read about the examples of God’s protection; for example in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and also of Daniel in the lion’s den. God also will continue to provide His protection to His people who are called worthy during the Great Tribulation which is destined to occur in the not-too-distant future. Placing our trust in God is crucial, and we must always be prepared by putting on the armor of God against Satan, as we read in Ephesians 6:10-13. Our full confidence should be in God, not in man, for God is the One Who will fight our battles (Jude 24-25).

The Bible, the Word of God, is powerful. God’s commandments and His law are powerful. His purpose for those is powerful who have been called out of this world at this time and have answered His calling, to have the first opportunity before the rest of mankind to be a part of His Family and receive everlasting life! We have power through all the tools and resources we have been given to understand God’s law. And we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit at the time of our baptism so that we can grow in wisdom and knowledge to be able to understand God’s law and share it with the whole world through the Work we are doing—the fulfillment of the commission that God has commanded us to do, to preach the gospel to the whole world as a witness; knowing that one day the world will experience what we have come to understand today. All the peoples of the earth will know that the “LORD is God” and “there is no other” (compare Isaiah 45:5, 14, 18). We must continue to let our hearts be loyal to Him, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments. Remember what God promises us and let us never forget it.

Peer pressure can cause someone to act or do things beyond the usual norms of acceptable behavior in order to just be accepted by others or to conform to their desires and wishes. People want to be accepted and don’t want to appear weird or radically different from those with whom they associate—either at work, in the community or at the church they attend, because they want to fit in.

The problem of caving in to peer pressure can lead to compromise and an erosion of one’s character. Exodus 32:1-4 provides a good example as to what happened when Aaron wanted to please the children of Israel. Exodus 32:1-4 says:

“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And Aaron said to them, ‘Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”

Aaron was the high priest and should have known better. What he and the people did was a complete affront to God who brought them out of Egypt by signs and wonders—not by some idol in the form of a golden calf. It appears Aaron did not resist the people’s desires nor offer a counter argument to show that what they were proposing was a sin and against the God who brought them out of Egypt by a powerful hand.

There were consequences for this sinful behavior. Exodus 32:28 reads: “… about three thousand men of the people fell that day.”

Furthermore, God was so angry that He would have destroyed them all and started over again with just Moses, but Moses talked Him out of it. Exodus 32:11-14 says: “Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: ‘LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”’ So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.”

Aaron did not have the courage or fortitude to stand up to the people’s desires to make a golden calf. Instead, he caved in. He was overcome by peer pressure and thus compromised in what was clearly contrary to the second commandment in regards to not worshipping idols.

As we move forward and draw ever closer to the return of Christ and as this world gets more and more evil under the influence of Satan, we must not give in to peer pressure or to compromise with what we have been taught from the Bible. The Truth is: We will never fit into this world of sin and corruption because in reality, we are “misfits,” wanting to obey God rather than compromise to please others and this world. There are always negative consequences for peer pressure which leads to compromise; yet on the other side of the coin, there is a great reward for those who faithfully endure to the end.