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Where Are We In History? November 16, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Many wonder what we have to be thankful for as we look at what has happened this year. The world moves toward a full year facing the coronavirus pandemic with more than 50 million victims globally, and more than 1.2 million deaths. In the United States alone, we have topped 10 million cases and a quarter of a million deaths. Still far less than the scientists predicted nine months ago but devastating to the world and our country.

The mistrust our media created over the last several months caused political upheaval resulting in mistrust in our elected officials, the integrity of our voting systems, and our political system. The blatant bias and censorship across the news media and social media failed to let citizens hear both sides of issues breeding mistrust and fomenting divide we haven’t seen here since the Civil War.

We can see injustice across the country based on wealth, race, social connections, political connections, media involvement, and a host of criteria that makes us think the entire system reeks of corruption. In reality, almost every system, that one or two percent of truly corrupt legal representatives give the rest we don’t hear about their reputation as a whole. Just like the cry about police brutality, a few police abuse their authority and should be dealt with accordingly, but the vast majority of law enforcement officers do not fall into that category and see their role as a calling to help society, not harm it.

The last year put not just the United States, but every nation in an economic crisis. As businesses closed due to the pandemic to try and stop the spread of the disease, millions lost their jobs. People went from living paycheck to paycheck to wondering if they would get by at all. The government stepped in with unemployment and other benefits, but those benefits barely keep a family above the poverty level, if that. Many business haven’t recovered and some economists predict as many as 50% of small businesses may close their doors for good. We are in hard times.

Then we faced all the natural disasters above and beyond the pandemic. They started with the wildfires in Australia that destroyed so much of that country. Our western states still don’t have their fires under control. Floods around the gulf coast devastated that area of our country as they faced multiple hurricanes this year. Earthquakes in several countries cost billions in damage and multiple lives. This has been an extraordinary year for disasters. And it’s not over yet.

Judah must have felt the same way as Zephaniah began his prophecies. His tone didn’t help their already devastated state. They faced multiple invasions in the 7^th and 8^th centuries BCE. The kings filled their pockets at the expense of the common people and injustice rampaged the country. The prophets spoke of the deplorable condition of the widows and orphans, those who could not care for themselves in that culture. They faced drought, floods, and famine again and again in those years. And when crops were good, invaders came and took them.

Zephaniah said it was much the fault of the leaders and those who followed them. Listen to his words.

Be silent! I am the Lord God,

and the time is near.

I am preparing

to sacrifice my people

and to invite my guests.

I’ll search Jerusalem with lamps

and punish those people

who sit there unworried

while thinking,

“The Lord won’t do anything,

good or bad.”

Their possessions will be taken,

their homes left in ruins.

They won’t get to live

in the houses they build,

or drink wine from the grapes

in their own vineyards.

The great day of the Lord

is coming soon, very soon.

On that terrible day,

fearsome shouts of warriors

will be heard everywhere.

It will be a time of anger—

of trouble and torment,

of disaster and destruction,

of darkness and despair,

of storm clouds and shadows,

of trumpet calls

and battle cries

against fortified cities

and mighty fortresses.

The Lord warns everyone

who has sinned against him,

“I’ll strike you blind!

Then your blood and your insides

will gush out like vomit.

Not even your silver or gold

can save you on that day

when I, the Lord, am angry.

My anger will flare up

like a furious fire

scorching the earth

and everyone on it.” (Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 CEV)

It wasn’t long before Israel faced another invading army and exile. Children forcibly removed from the land became indoctrinated in Babylon and the brightest put into the king’s service. Only the poorest finally ended up remaining in a ruined, burned out, rubble filled country. Why? Because they failed to do what God told them to do in the first place. They chased after the idols and gods of the people of the land God gave them instead of worshiping him. They failed to show the nations around them the true God of creation as he had instructed through Abraham, Moses, and the prophets.

What can we learn from the Israelites fate and Zephaniah’s words? First, God watches our actions and attitudes. The Israelites didn’t get away with their injustice. There is a day of reckoning. As a God of love, he cannot just stand by and do nothing about our decaying world. He must bring justice back. He must put everything right again or he is not a loving and just and true God. But we know he is and a day of reckoning will come.

We also know he is a God of grace and mercy. He has held off his judgment to allow as many as will to come to know his grace. He wants humanity to come to him willingly, to know him as he is. He does not look forward to the day his wrath is poured out on those who refuse to listen to him, but instead he yearns for and gives every opportunity for humanity to come to salvation, even knowing many will not.

Finally, we know God gives us many warnings about what will come. His word tells us about the judgment he will bring upon the unjust, the unrighteous, those who will not believe. The earth shudders and gives its signs as if in labor waiting to give birth to a renewed creation. We see it all around us, but so many refused to see the very signs the prophets spoke of as they talked about the coming of the Lord.

So what should we do? Pray. Know your relationship with the Lord. Let him search you heart. Reach out to him and let him turn his spotlight on your life and make you more like him each day. Stay in his word. Get to know his word. Study it. Let it soak into your life and become part of you – not just on Sundays or in some Bible study, but every waking moment of every day. Let it be the guide for your life. God’s spirit will assure you of your relationship with him as you stay in his word. His spirit in you and his word will never disagree with each other.

If God points something out in your life that needs changed, repent and fix it. Turn away from those things that do not look and feel like God and his plan and purpose. Repentance is more than being sorry for getting caught. It is stopping those things and doing what is right. Following in his footsteps. Going wherever he is.

Pray unceasingly. Pray for yourself. Pray for your family and your friends and neighbors. Pray for your coworkers. Pray for our nation and its leaders. Pray for the world and those whose decisions touch the lives of others. Pray for the healthcare workers and those on the front lines who put themselves in danger each day to care for others during this pandemic. Pray that God will intervene and bring revival to our world, our nation, and our neighborhoods.

Share the good news that the Messiah came, died for our sins, rose from the grave, and sits as King of the world on God’s throne. Jesus is his name, Lord of lords, King of kings, creator of the universe and all that is in it. He died that we might have life more abundant. Believe in him as savior and king and you can have life eternally. Share the message. We are priests, ministers, with special gifts that God can use in many ways to show his love to the world around us. All are not preachers or teachers or evangelists, but all have gifts to share with a world that needs love desperately.

Judgment is coming. Jesus is coming. God’s grace has extended the time of his judgment to let us introduce a few more before he does. We need to take advantage of the time we have so another one can learn about his love before it is too late.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Guard your hearts (Luke 21:34-36), January 4, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
What does it mean to guard your heart? Have you ever thought about that? Let’s see what Jesus has to say.

Scripture
- Luke 21:34-36

So be careful. Guard your hearts. They can be made heavy with moral laxity, with drunkenness, with the hassles of daily life. Then the day I’ve been telling you about might catch you unaware and trap you. Because it’s coming—nobody on earth will escape it. So you have to stay alert, praying that you’ll be able to escape the coming trials so you can stand tall in the presence of the Son of Man.

Devotional

Have you ever thought much about that command from Jesus? Guard your hearts.
We aren’t doing very well as a society.
- Description of what He said makes it heavy
- Moral laxity
- Drunkenness
- Hassles of life
Drag by day after day with heavy hearts, what does it mean?
- Sounds a lot like depression – listless, purposeless, everything hard
- Anxiety – worry about everything, anything that can go bad will go bad for you
- Frustration – things never work out the way they should according to your plan
- Despair – never get there, never succeed, never accomplish your goals
Direct result of some of those warnings.
- Think tolerance of all things would improve society, it hasn’t and it won’t
- Drunkenness loosens judgment, leads to moral laxity, creates the same problems
  - Nothing good happens after midnight
  - Never lose control of mental faculties unless under a doctors care
- Rut of daily life underwhelm and make us trudge through life
Military know how to guard things.
- Put barriers in place, physical and electronic, to keep the enemy out
- Put warriors in place to keep watch on all those barriers to make sure no one and nothing slips through
- Trains almost daily, even while in combat, to make sure they are ready to face the enemy and repel him
Do we know how to guard our hearts against the enemy?
Do we even try in these days? Sometimes I’m not sure we do as I look at the state of the world and our society.
- Back to Jesus warning – Guard your hearts. They can be made heavy with moral laxity, with drunkenness, with the hassles of daily life.
- Moral laxity – rampant
- Drunkenness – 20% of all drivers on the road are intoxicated, that means over the legal limits, with drugs or alcohol, but over 65% of all drivers are on the road with a buzz or some sedation from drugs or alcohol. Drunkenness? Here!
- Hassles of daily life – road rage, gun sales, violence, hatred spring up everywhere
  - criticisms instead of complements
  - petitions instead of praise
  - complaints instead of thanksgiving
  - we live in a pessimistic, hate filled time surrounded by evil
How do we guard our hearts?
- Spend time with God
- Listen to Him from His word, hymns, devotionals,
- Pray – a lot
- Study His word, don’t just read it
- Keep garbage out
- Put up barriers to the things Satan would use to fill your mind
- Be aware of your weaknesses and watch carefully in those areas
- Did I say pray – a lot
- By the way – pray – a lot

If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
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The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Get ready now! (Luke 17:22-37) December 17, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 25-26

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:22-37
Jesus (to His disciples) Days are coming when you will wish you could see just one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it. People will say, “Look, it’s there!” or “Look! It’s here!” Don’t even bother looking. Don’t follow their lead. You know how lightning flashes across the sky, bringing light from one horizon to the other. That’s how the Son of Man will be when His time comes.
But first, He must face many sufferings. He must be rejected by this generation. The days of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage. Everything seemed completely normal until the day Noah entered the ark. Then it started raining, and soon they were all destroyed by the flood.
It was just the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building, and carrying on business as usual. But then came the day when Lot left Sodom—a different kind of rain began to fall, and they were all destroyed by fire and sulfur falling from the sky. That’s how it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
When that day comes, if you’re on the housetop, don’t run inside to try to save any of your belongings. If you’re in the field, don’t bother running back to the house. Remember Lot’s wife. Turning back is fatal for those who do so. If you try to hold on to your life, it will slip through your fingers; if you let go of your life, you’ll keep it. Listen, on the day of the Son of Man, two people will be asleep in bed; destruction will take one and the other will be left to survive. Two women will be grinding grain together; destruction will take one and the other will survive. Two men will be working out in the field; destruction will overtake one and the other will survive.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I was just thinking about what normal meant in Noah and Lot’s days and what normal means today. God sent the flood to destroy all humankind except Noah and his family because of what was normal for the people around Noah. He sent fire and sulfur falling from the sky to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroying those two cities and the plains where they existed because of what was normal for them. God said they had become a stench to Him because of their evil practices so He wiped them out.

Jesus at various times during His ministry warned of the coming wrath that will come because of the evil that will sweep across the earth. Well, I think we are just about there. Take a look at our normal today. Our selfish desires have driven us to the point that anything is okay. We tolerate aberrant behavior and call it everything but sin. We even let our government dictate that sin is okay and encourage us to support it.

Surely not, you say. Just take a look around you. Read the papers and the laws that have sprung up in recent years that fund actions and behaviors that clearly go against God’s word. What else would you call it? Sin has run rampant in our country and around the world. Revivals are unheard of in our land today. Church attendance is down and many services are pretty shallow, more entertainment than worship. Message tickle our ears with things we want to hear instead of the words we need to hear to convince and convict us and help us realize our fallen state.

I think Jesus saw the same signs in Rome and Jerusalem and Galilee. The degradation has continued. We keep sliding further toward our own destruction because we fail to give God the worship He is due. We forget that He is God and we are not. We try to satisfy that God-sized hole in our heart with everything but Him. It won’t work, but we try. But just as in Noah’s day and in Lot’s day, God will finally decide enough is enough. He will finally decide His children do not need to suffer under the hands of evil people anymore. He will finally decide He has given enough grace and will call an end to time.

It will happen in an instant, Jesus says. You won’t be able to climb down off the ladder if you’re working off the ground. You won’t be able to make it to the house if you’re out working in the yard. You won’t have time to go anywhere or do anything because His coming will happen faster than you can blink. As fast as the speed of light, He will come, take His own, and be gone. it will all be over. Judgment will come. Your standing with God will be fixed at that point and He will judge you for what you believe now, not that day. Everyone will believe on that day. Everyone will bow before Him on that day. Everyone will acknowledge that He is God and Lord and Master on that day. But if you don’t believe before that time, it will be too late.

Like in the days of Noah or the days of Lot, normal was evil. Normal opposed God’s laws. Normal tried to substitute things other than God to satisfy a spiritual need only He can satisfy. Normal then sounds a lot like our normal today. We live in a dangerous time. Not from the threat of the evil around us, but because if your heart is not right with God, there might not be much time to make it right. The flood came without warning. People wanted in the ark then, but God had shut the door. Fire and sulfur fell from the sky and there was no where to run.

We don’t know what it will be like when God comes again, but it will be fast and violent and there will be no escape for those He does not take with Him. Get ready now.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Be alert and remember (Mark 13:14-27) Septeber 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 105-107

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 13:14-27
Jesus: On the day you see it, whoever is in Judea should flee for the mountains. The person on the rooftop shouldn’t reenter the house to get anything, and the person working in the field shouldn’t turn back to grab his coat. It will be horrible for women who are pregnant or who are nursing their children when those days come. And pray that you don’t have to run for your lives in the winter. When those days come, there will be suffering like nobody has seen from the beginning of the world that God created until now, and it never will be like this again. And if the Lord didn’t shorten those days for the sake of the ones He has chosen, then nobody would survive them.
If anyone tells you in those days, “Look, there is the Anointed One!” or “Hey, that must be Him!” don’t believe them. False liberators and prophets will pop up like weeds, and they will work signs and perform miracles that would entice even God’s chosen people, if that were possible. So be alert, and remember how I have warned you.
As Isaiah said in the days after that great suffering,
The sun will refuse to shine,
and the moon will hold back its light.
The stars in heaven will fall,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then you will see (as Daniel predicted) “the Son of Man coming in the clouds,” clothed in power and majesty. And He will send out His heavenly messengers and gather together to Himself those He has chosen from the four corners of the world, from every direction and every land.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Having seen combat and the results of combat, the things men can do to other men, these words of Jesus terrify me. I know too many people who have not come to know Jesus as their personal Savior yet and I believe the days are getting short heralding His return. The signs He gave us in the verses we considered yesterday happen with increasing rapidity every day. Those birth pangs the earth experiences show His coming is close at hand.

Yet so many today discount those prophecies. They say it’s just a lot of stories. Marx said religions is just something to calm the emotions of the masses. I wonder what He would say about the alignment of the things we are witnessing today with the signs Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 25 and Mark 13. More earthquakes this week in Oklahoma that could be felt from Nebraska to Texas. We can blame it on fracking and the oil industry, but I just don’t think the earth is so fragile that we could do that kind of damage to it. The nuclear blasts in the 1930’s and 1940’s didn’t create earthquakes that large, so why would we think fracking could do so much damage? It doesn’t make much sense to me.

We don’t have the power to destroy the earth the way the climatologist and the ecologists think we do. Yes, we pollute it. Yes, we cause damage to it. Yes, we are not very good stewards of God’s creation. But it seems every time we think we have done some horrific thing to the planet, the planet heals itself as if God is showing us that we just can’t break it ourselves. But He can. It’s His to do with as He wills, and the signs are growing stronger.

Many refuse to believe it, though. So what will happen? Things will get noticeably worse. Jesus said it would. Christians will be hated more than they are now. We will be blamed for the failing economy. We will be blamed for the increasing violence. We will even be blamed for the climate changes our failure to stop the capitalist movements to make more money. Somehow, it will all be the Christians’ fault. And we will feel the brunt of the world’s wrath because of it. We will suffer because of the world’s false accusations.

But Jesus is returning. He’s coming back and when He does, something dreadful will happen to those who have pointed the finger at the wrong people. Those non-believers will feel the wrath of God. Jesus says there will be suffering like no one has seen since the beginning of the world. When He begins to defend His children.

Think about that for just a minute. No suffering like that since the beginning of the world. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Not as bad as this. The Nazi annihilation of the Jews. Not as bad as this. The hurricanes like Andrew, Katrina, and Ike. Don’t hold a candle to the suffering God will pour out. Sodom and Gomorrah. Nope, not like the suffering that’s coming. Even the flood in Noah’s day will pale in comparison to the suffering the world will endure at the end of time.

Jesus gives us warning. We’ve read the words many times. They are available for anyone to read and hear in almost every language now. No one has an excuse. The time is ripe for His coming. All the signs are playing out before our eyes. I don’t want anyone to miss their opportunity for salvation, but many are asleep and just pretend it isn’t going to happen.

But Jesus said, “Be alert and remember how I have warned you.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.