Tuesday, January 5, 2016

2016: A Year For Living With No Fear




2016: A Year For Living With No Fear


[This commentary comes from Michael Snyder, The End Of The American Dream, who typically devotes his commentary to financial issues, which makes his conclusions even more interesting and unexpected]


2016 is just a few days old, and already there has been a tremendous amount of shaking. Stock markets all over the world are crashing, a huge earthquake just hit India, the middle portion of the United States is dealing with record flooding, Islamic terror continues to spread in the Middle East and elsewhere, and Saudi Arabia has suddenly cut off relations with Iran. Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and I believe that this is just the beginning. In fact, I am fully convinced that 2016 is going to be an incredibly chaotic year.
So does that mean that we should all cower in fear and try to find somewhere to hide?
Not at all.
My wife and I seek to live our lives in a constant state of “shalom”, which is the Hebrew word for peace. And we believe that 2016 is a year to be lived with no fear whatsoever. Yes, immensely great challenges are coming to this nation. But with great shaking comes great opportunity. In 2016 we believe that there will be incredible opportunities to be a light in the darkness.
We are moving into a time when so many of the things that we have become preoccupied with will fall to the wayside and we will start focusing on what really matters. Many of you have been preparing for the future for many years, and this is going to be the year when those preparations begin to pay off.
When great challenges come, they reveal the true nature of our character. And as things fall apart all around us, people are going to be looking for leaders. To be a leader, sometimes you don’t even have to say anything. People are going to be watching how we respond to the events that are going to be happening this year, and we need to decide right now whether we are going to respond with strength or fear.
If you want to be a leader, you need to be ready to be a rock in the storm. When the waves start crashing all around you, that is the time to set your face like flint and choose not to be moved. Many are going to want to dig a hole and try to hide from the world, but those with courage are going to be running to the front lines instead.
This is what we have been training for.
This is what we have been preparing for.
You were born for such a time as this.
If you look back throughout history, almost all of the heroes that we greatly admire were birthed during times of great crisis. It is when times are the darkest that the light is needed the most. And the hard times that are coming are going to be crying out for strong men and women to arise.
For years, “watchmen on the wall” such as myself have been relentlessly warning about what is coming. In fact, I have been sounding the alarm so loudly and for so long that some of my readers are probably sick of it. But the purpose has never been to “create fear”. I believe that there is hope in understanding what is happening, and I believe that there is hope in getting prepared.
And the truth is that there is very much a spiritual dimension to all of this. For decades, God has been calling America to return to Him, but instead this nation has been feverishly running the other direction. Now a day of reckoning is upon us, and we are going to experience the consequences of decades of very foolish decisions.
In the legal world, there is always a pronouncement of guilt before a judgment is administered. And in 2015 I believe that we were very clearly shown our guilt in a myriad of ways. Some examples include the gay marriage Supreme Court decision, the Ashley Madison scandal, and the undercover Planned Parenthood videos. I don’t believe that it was any accident that those videos came out exactly when they did. The whole world got to see that we are murdering millions of babies, harvesting their body parts and organs, and selling those body parts and organs off to the highest bidder. Those body parts and organs are then used in bizarre scientific experiments, and the federal government is funding the entire thing.
But instead of repenting, Congress just authorized hundreds of millions of dollars of funding for Planned Parenthood for the coming year, and surveys have found that the American people approve of federal funding for Planned Parenthood by about a 2 to 1 margin.
I believe that we were given one last chance to repent in 2015, but instead we chose to shake our fist at God.
Now a great shaking is coming, and I believe that it has already started. Since September, we have seen a very highly unusual series of disasters in America. We have seen horrific flooding in Missouri, South Carolina, Texas and Oregon, a nightmarish wave of wildfires starting at the end of the summer resulted in more acres being burned in this country than ever before, the state of Oklahoma set a brand new all-time record for earthquakes in a single year, a series of very unusual tornadoes just ripped through areas near Dallas, and much of California continues to suffer through the worst multi-year drought in the history of the state.
When we look at the Bible, we see that there is often a progression to judgment. For example, frogs and lice were a couple of the early plagues that hit Egypt in the book of Exodus, but by the end all of the firstborn of the Egyptians were dead. A similar pattern exists in the book of Revelation. Each “shaking” is intended to bring about repentance, and if there is no repentance then more shakings come.
We should be happy that shaking is coming to America, because without shaking I don’t believe that there would be any widespread repentance.
God has been warning us about what is coming, but most of us don’t want to listen.
God sends warnings because He does not want us to fear. He knows everything that is going to happen in advance, He is in control, and He has a plan.
And even in the midst of all the chaos and darkness that is beginning to engulf the world, God is raising up a Remnant.
This Remnant is going to be the army of the last days. It will walk in faith and not in fear. It will boldly take action while others cower. This Remnant is going to become what God always intended His people to be, and it is going to do things that are going to shock the world.
The greatest move of God and the greatest harvest of souls that the world has ever seen are coming. But just because we know what God is going to do in these last days does not mean that we automatically get to be part of it. Now is a time to press in and seek Him like never before. We need to pray that God will pour out His fire on our lives and equip us to be warriors of light in a world that is filled with darkness.
Jesus is coming back for His bride, but right now we are not ready.
Jesus deserves the greatest bride of all. He deserves a bride without spot or wrinkle and that is madly and wildly and passionately in love with Him.
Without Him nothing is possible, but with His help we can become the bride that we were always intended to be.
In 2016, everything changes.
Are you ready?



11 comments:

GG2013 said...

2 Corinthians 2:17


Triumph in Christ

…16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
17For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight
of God.

Cross References

1 Corinthians 5:8
Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

2 Corinthians 1:12
Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with
you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God's grace.

2 Corinthians 1:18
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No."

2 Corinthians 4:2
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary,
by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

2 Corinthians 6:7
in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;

2 Corinthians 11:11
Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

2 Corinthians 12:19
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God
as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.

Galatians 1:6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--

1 Thessalonians 2:4
On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God,
who tests our hearts.

1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the
strength God provides,so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever
and ever.
Amen.

2 Peter 2:3
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and
their destruction has not been sleeping.

Treasury of Scripture
For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Mrs.C said...

My goodness...where is that icon with tape over its mouth when you need it :) Great commentary...had me until he began with the "Remnant" referrals with an uppercase "R". Sounds like he believes in maybe Replacement theology, and this "per-wrath" or mid-Trib nonsense.God always saves a "Remnant" of His People, who are Jewish, not the Church, and when God raises up a "Remnant" they again, are His People, not the Church. We His Church, His Bride, are not subject to Gods Wrath, or His Judgement. Does that mean its a cake walk for a true Believing Christian? No, my any means. What it does mean is that Jesus already took what we deserve on the Cross, and He is with us through our trials down here in this fallen world. He walks through the valleys with us, He doesnt say stop and set up camp in the valleys.
Quote: "But just because we know what God is going to do in these last days does not mean that we automatically get to be part of it."
What? The Church is not some Last Days army. Are we to be a Light in darkness? Absolutely!
Quote "Jesus is coming back for His bride, but right now we are not ready."
What? Again, this is this erred thinking that the Church has to go through h-ll in order to be "ready" or "spotless" before Jesus Comes. Ridiculous, and something we could NEVER obtain. As if the condition of the Church controls when Jesus Comes for us.Jesus ALREADY made us "spotless" by what He did for all of us on the Cross, and those that are say backsliden when the Rapture happens, will be accountable at the Judgement Seat of Jesus (as we all will be for that matter). He makes it very clear that we should always be ready, as a Bride waits with GREAT anticipation and excitement for her Beloved Groom!

Unknown said...

Awesome message Scott. It seems that many people (myself included) are sending big things for 2016, and I think your challenge is fitting in this time. I'm ready to be out of here, but I know we have work to do.

Thanks,

Lancr

Scott said...

Yea, i hear ya. I almost didnt post it for that reason but there was so much other material in this article that i liked i decided to post it anyway. There are so many times that i f

Scott said...

find articles such as this that i dont post for one reason or another. But for some reason i posted this one anyway

WVBORN56 said...

I've thought for awhile that the author was pre-wrath or post tribulation because the nature of his site is "prepping".

I do however appreciate that he is a brother and he is preaching Jesus and repentance. That is never a bad thing. :)

Another guy you have posted in the past Scott is the John Little of the Omega Shock Letter. He is also pre-wrath but I still appreciate his blog and what he has to say on many issues. He bases his whole pre-wrath position on the passage in second Thessalonians that he interprets the rapture can not occur until the AC is on the scene.

Our last Pastor at our church held the same position based on that same passage. Could not be persuaded otherwise. Some good teaching on that scripture would be helpful to combat that error....of course most millennials these days have zero interest in prophecy and would be lost on the nuances of the discussion anyway.

Sigh...

Scott said...

Most of that group bases their entire thought process on that one scripture, ignoring all of the supportive scripture for the pre-trib view and they misinterpret that. Its frustrating which is one of the reasons i dont engage the discussion anymore. I have found this a common theme - to base an entire doctrine on one maybe two scriptures. Thats not the best approach imo because there are so many supporting scriptures that have to be considered

Unknown said...

Just reading Mrs C's comment, and I agree on the "Church is not ready" portion....how would a man know? I still like the article....guess my filter has a way of sifting out some of the flawed doctrine. I don't know that any of us has it right, but as Mrs C points out, we don't have to. We just have to cry out to Jesus for forgiveness and that makes us "ready". That's what I'm hanging my hopes on....still think 2016 is going to be huge.

Thanks all

Scott said...

Peter - be specific - quote the scriptures and I'll post it and we can debate it - but you have to give us some meat to digest,

ally said...

So the BBC is reporting over 100 gang rapes on new years eve in Germany. :\

Scott said...

Im getting ready to post this story in a few minutes