For Such a Time as This

By Karen Connell

God has a DESTINY or a predetermined course of events planned for this end time age that we are now living in and also for His special chosen people, called the Saints, who are the Bride of Christ. We who are part of God’s HOLY NATION are destined to do GREAT EXPLOITS for Him, such as bringing the message of deliverance from sin and Satan, to those who become willing to answer God’s call to become part of His family, by being born again. Being delivered from the kingdom of darkness and the evil plans of those who hate God and His people, is part of their destiny. In light of God’s destiny for His people in these last days, I immediately think of what was said to Esther, when she was faced with having to make the choice of entering into the destiny God had chosen for her, or to just play it safe and not put her life on the line for God and His people…

(Esther 4:14) If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief …will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were “destined” for just such a time as this?”

There are two very important things revealed in the above verse. Firstly, God had chosen Esther to SPEAK and EXPOSE the plans of the enemy that would have destroyed not only her and her family, but multitudes of God’s people as well. FULFILLING her destiny, however, was a CHOICE she knew could cost her life, but she chose to make that choice despite the cost.

Secondly, it is important to note the fact that God’s destined plan of delivering His people, was going to be fulfilled, even if she chose NOT to fulfill her part in God’s plan. For she was told deliverance for His people could “arise from some other place” if she chose not to fulfill her “destiny.” Not fulfilling our destiny at God’s appointed times, will have personal consequences for us, just as it would have for Esther, who was told, “If you keep quiet… you and your relatives will die.

Fortunately for Esther, her family and all of God’s people, her decision was to speak out about the enemies and expose them, which resulted in salvation for her, her family and the people of God.

The destiny God gave to Esther, is the same destiny that is given to every true follower of Jesus Christ…

(Ephesians 2:10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God pre-DESTINED that we should walk in them.

So what is it God PREDESTINED for every follower of Jesus?

(Mark 16:15-16) He said to them, “Go into all the world, and PREACH THE GOOD NEWS to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

(Matthew 28:19-20) Go ye therefore, and TEACH ALL NATIONS (ALT: disciple all ethnic groups), baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost… Teaching them to observe all things WHATSOEVER (ALT: as much as) I have COMMANDED (ALT: accomplished in) you…

There we have it! Like Esther we are to open our mouths and preach the gospel and make disciples among all ethic groups.

The Fall of America is Due to Silent Christians

It greatly grieves me that professing Christians are so deceived about WHY what’s happening in this nation has been able to occur. It is not because of our politics or political leaders. It is because every follower of our Savior have NOT been preaching and teaching SINNERS the truth of the Gospel and making followers of Jesus among all people everywhere. Instead, professing Christians as a whole have been silent and have not fulfilled their preordained destiny. As a result, the forces of darkness have been able to prevail, not only in the lives of the unrepentant pagans and heathen, but also in the lives of God’s unrepentant people in this nation. It is a sad fact that for generations, professing Christians have been kept busy by demonic forces fighting among their selves in order to keep their denominational practices, tradtions and doctrines (of men) in tact. It is sickening to see the pride and hypocrisy among professing Christians who refuse to humble themselves and allow God to search their own lives and reveal any leaven that is present.

Since the birth of Christianity, the spiritual battle for the souls of humanity has been raging in the heavenlies and has manifested in the lives of humans here on earth. Those of us who name the name of Christ are supposed to be exposing the forces of darkness, by preaching the true Gospel message, yet the broad road leading to destruction is filled with professing Christians who do nothing about obeying the great commision, given by Jesus Chirst to those who profess to have put their faith in Him as His follower. Faith without works is dead. For too long, Christians have hidden their light (by NOT sharing the Gospel), because the light has been covered over by believing the lie of the enemy that says, “we should not push our religion on other people” and “we need to be loving by being tolerant of diverse beliefs.” By doing so the enemy has advanced to where we now find ourselves living in a Twilight Zone of insanity, just as the Bible said we would…

(2 Timothy 3:1-9) Interlinear Literal translation Bible *NOTE: My comments are in parenthesis

“This, however, realize that in the last days there will be present times of great danger and difficulty… This will be because people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive to parents, disobedient, ungrateful and unholy … unloving, relentlessly hostile, slanderers, no self-control, savage, no love for what is good (i.e. in God’s eyes). They will be treacherous, reckless, inflated with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather that lovers of God… They will possess a form of godliness, but the supernatural power (of true godliness) is contradicted and refused to be identified with, these turn away from.

In generations past, God was feared and honored and the Bible was the accepted standard for truth and practice in many, if not most American families. They attended church and children went to Sunday School and were taught right and wrong according to the ten commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, in a lot of Christian circles, ones personal “faith” was more or less a “private” thing, not something to be shared with everyone. After all, this was America, the land of the free, where everyone has the right to believe and freely practice their “faith” in whatever way made them happy. Being “tolerant” of others beliefs gradually became the order of the day, thus silencing individual believers, who didn’t want to appear “intolerant” (i.e. unloving).

Thus, telling people they were “sinners” and that Jesus Christ was the only way to be to “saved” from their sin, was seen as being condemning and again “intolerant” … paving the way for other false gospels like the “social-political gospel” and the “self-enhancement-prosperity gospel.” These false gospels did not preach on sin, repentance, and living the required death to self and the sanctified life. It is now all about ME-MYSELF and I.

Because the true gospel (that exposes sin) was not being preached by God’s people as a whole, the “silent majority” of Christians, chose to remain so, when public Bible reading and prayer that invoked the name Jesus Christ as our God, was removed from public gatherings. There was no outcry from Believers when abortion, same sex marriage and gay rights became issues. Why? Because political correctness produced silence and silence breeds apostasy.

God in His foreknowledge knew that in the end, there would only be a small faithful remnant, who are body members of the Bride of Christ. They would be willing to pay the price to remain on the narrow road leading to life and fulfilling the Great Commission of preaching the true Gospel of of Christ. His Bride is the dwelling place for the true Saints of God, who will live in the light of the glory of the Lamb of God and with Him, rule and reign in His Kingdom as Kings and Priests unto their God…

(Revelation 21″2-3, 9-10) 2Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God… 9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God.

Those of us in these end times, who have counted the cost and taken up our cross to follow and obey Jesus Christ our Savior and King, indeed understand that this not only means we are putting to death to our self-centered, selfish lives, but are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice of being put to death for making our uncompromising stand for the truth, and for being a follower of the Lord. With each passing day persecution and being put to death, becomes more and more of a reality as we see the beast system being incorporated world wide. Jesus made it clear that as a true follower of Him we are to expect to become targets of persecution for His sake.

(John 15:18-20) 18“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.

Knowing these things are a distinct possability, we must arm ourselves, not with carnal weapons to be used against our enemies and persecutors, but with the spiritual weapons of truth and love. For our protection lies in our brestplate of righteousness and in our shield of fatih. For we represent the true and living God, the Savior of mankind, who came to destroy the works of the devil…

(1 Peter 4:1-2, 7,8) 1Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God… 7The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 8Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Amen