PROPHECY UPDATE.................9.14/2022

 

Dark Storm Clouds Are Approaching - By Grant Phillips - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/09/10/dark-storm-clouds-are-approaching-by-grant-phillips/   Eleven years ago, I wrote an article titled The Stage Is Nearly Set, in which I listed several important occurrences and their dates. Following is that listing.   1920 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) founded 1945 The United Nations (U.N.) replaced The League of Nations. 1945 The atomic age began with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 1946 The Atomic Energy Commission was created. 1946 Xerographic photocopying process was invented. 1947 Truman Doctrine (aid to countries whose governments are threatened with overthrow) 1947 India and Pakistan proclaimed independent nations 1947 First airplane to break the speed of sound 1947 The transistor invented at Bell Laboratories 1947 Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) founded 1947 Holography invented 1947 Doomsday Clock invented by scientists 1948 The Marshall Plan (giving aid to 16 European countries) 1948 Foundation of the State of Israel 1948 Communists take over Czechoslovakia 1948 Organization of American States founded (human rights) 1948 First flight of first commercial jet airliner 1948 World Council of Churches formed 1948 U.N. adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 World Health Organization (WHO) founded 1949 Communists forces gain power in China (nationalists flee to Taiwan) 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) established 1949 Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb 1949 Israel admitted to the U.N. 1949 Lucky Lady (U.S. Air Force) completes first non-stop around-the-world flight 1949 Electron microscopy developed 1949 Council of Europe formed 1950 National Council of Churches formed 1958 European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and European Economic Community (EEC) formed by six European countries (the beginnings of the European Union, as known today)   I also find it interesting that Madalyn Murray O’Hair was born in 1919, and one year later, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded. The American Atheist, founded in 1963 by Madalyn Murray O’Hair, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), founded in 1920, have been Satan’s left hand and right hand in his attack upon Christianity.   Isn’t it interesting that most of the dates listed above are in the same general time period, either before or after another very important date? Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948.   If that isn’t enough, here are some more occurrences and their dates that are in the general time period, either before or after another very important date. On June 7, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israel reunified Jerusalem.   1963 American Atheist founded by Madalyn Murray O’Hair (pushed separation of church and state) 1963 Murray vs. Curlett resulting in Supreme Court decision (8-1) that year, which made it unconstitutional for school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools 1967 Israel defeats Arabs in Six-Day War 1967 First Super Bowl 1967 First heart transplant (by Dr. Christian Bernard) 1967 First celebration of Earth Day 1967 First broadcast of Sesame Street 1967 Israel reunified Jerusalem   In 1980, the Israeli Parliament declared Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. On May 14, 2018, the United States of America moved its embassy to Jerusalem under President Donald Trump.   When I was born, there was no nation of Israel, but God said He would bring them back, and bring them back He did.   “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children” (Isaiah 66:7-8).   “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again” (Ezekiel 37:21-22).   By the time I was one year old, God brought the children of Israel back from where they had been scattered and established them back as a nation in ONE DAY! That is unheard of! No other group of people, EVER, has been dismantled, scattered throughout the other nations, and then brought back as the SAME nation! … let alone in ONE DAY! He is still bringing His children home.   God has made it clear in the book of Daniel, Ezekiel, and others that He would bring Israel back as a nation, and they would have seven remaining years that He would judge them, and He would also judge the world. We know this period as the Tribulation, and the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation as the Great Tribulation. That time period is getting closer and closer.   In the late fifties, the Internet was birthed, and on August 6, 1991, the World Wide Web became publicly available. Today, nearly everything functions via the Internet. We can’t live without it. Don’t think so? Ask any teenager.   Most all of the items I have shown in the two listings, and many more I haven’t listed, have been stepping stones that have brought us to the last days spoken of in God’s Word, the Bible. We don’t know the day or hour of Jesus’ return, but you can rest assured that we are in the season of His return.   Israel becoming a nation again in 1948 is the one major sign that the clock is ticking. The second major sign, in my opinion, is the convergence of all the prophetic signs in our day. When I was born, none of the signs of the coming Tribulation existed, but today they are overwhelmingly visible.   David Reagan has written an excellent article on an overview of the signs of the times at http://christinprophecy.org/articles/an-overview-of-the-signs-of-the-times/ . It would be well worth your time to read his article.   Folks, time is running out. One day soon, maybe much closer than we think, Jesus is going to remove His bride (the true Church) from this earth, and then the seven-year Tribulation will begin.   Noah warned the people of his day that God was going to judge the world by water. All those not in the Ark would drown. For 120 years, Noah warned the people, but they laughed it off, just as people today are laughing at God’s message that another worldwide judgment is coming called the Tribulation. When considering the worldwide flood of Noah’s day and God’s coming judgment in the seven-year Tribulation, the Tribulation will be even worse. Reading the book of Revelation makes that clear. Jesus says of those Tribulation days:   “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).   Don’t be like those of Noah’s day and die without Jesus.   Grant Phillips   Email: Phillip5769@twc.com Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

They Have Been Destroying Our Culture For Decades, And We Can See It Degenerating Right In Front Of Our Eyes - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/they-have-been-destroying-our-culture-for-decades-and-we-can-see-it-degenerating-right-in-front-of-our-eyes/   Our culture has been completely and utterly turned upside down. If Americans from 1776 could visit us today, they would be absolutely horrified. Everything that they considered to be good is now considered to be evil, and everything that they considered to be evil is now considered to be good. We may pay lip service to the Constitution that they gave us, but the truth is that we have completely rejected all of the values that were the bedrock of their society. As a result, our culture is rapidly degenerating and we can see evidence of this all around us.   Have you ever heard a politician say that “America is great because America is good”?   At one time, that was actually true.   But now our country has been taken over by people that are unashamedly evil.   They control the education of our children, they control most of our news and entertainment, they run most of our large corporations, and they occupy most of the major positions of power in our largest cities.   Sadly, they also completely dominate the halls of power in Washington.   Over time, the American people allowed them to creep their way in, and now they are “the elite”.   And they are literally destroying our culture.   Traditional American values have been banished to the remote fringes of our society, and they have been replaced by values that represent the exact opposite of what our society once believed.   At this point, the elite have become so bold that they want to begin sexual indoctrination in kindergarten, they are attempting to normalize some of the most extreme forms of sexual deviancy imaginable, and they are pushing to set up vending machines “that will distribute drug supplies” even in very remote rural areas of the nation…   The Biden administration will be spending $3.6 million to set up vending machines in rural Kentucky that will distribute drug supplies as part of a project run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).   “Our kiosk, or KyOSK (KY Outreach Service Kiosk), will be supplied with injection equipment, naloxone, fentanyl test strips, hygiene kits, condoms, and other supplies,” according to the project. The vending machines will allow drug users to procure items like syringes without having to come into contact with health experts.   In addition to drug paraphernalia, the kiosks will also distribute “food kits, water, socks and gloves, feminine hygiene products, wound care, and resources/guides,” the National Institute on Drug Abuse told the Free Beacon.   In our schools, reading, writing and arithmetic have been replaced by sex, drugs and political correctness.   When many of our impressionable young kids finally become adults, they behave like wild animals because they have absolutely no moral foundation.   Over the weekend, there were brawls in stadiums all over the country as the NFL kicked off a new season.   And if you visit your favorite local restaurant, there is also a chance that you might find yourself in the middle of a mass brawl…   WATCH VIDEO   These days, the police often don’t even respond to such incidents because they are not deemed serious enough.   But if you actually behead someone, that will be enough to get their attention…   A Northern California mother of two who was beheaded with a sword last week has been identified and the father of one of her children has been accused of committing the brutal murder.   The family of 27-year-old Karina Castro has confirmed that she was beheaded on the street outside her home in broad daylight on Thursday by a man with a sword, KGO-TV reported.   The man who police say killed her is 33-year-old Jose Raphael Solano Landaeta, the father of Castro’s 1-year-old daughter.   Could you picture something like that happening on American streets in 1776?   Of course not.   But these days even our wealthiest cities have been transformed into crime-ridden, drug infested hellholes. For example, just consider what has happened to San Francisco…   The city is now famous for its depravity and decline. With multiple “poop tracking” apps to help residents avoid stepping in human fecal matter piled on the sidewalks as well as entire neighborhoods and street corners overrun with homeless people and Fentanyl addicts, it’s very hard for the city to play itself off as a destination of dreams (though they still try). Much like LA and the city of Portland, wherever the political left takes full control these are the kinds of unfortunate scenes you are likely to witness on a regular basis in San Francisco:   WATCH: https://youtu.be/Sq7bPIFW26k   Recent estimates project at least 20,000 homeless will reside in the city in 2022, and poverty levels will remain around 11.3% of the population. Previous homeless estimates date back to 2019, and surveys were skipped in 2020 due to the covid lockdowns. The Bay Area’s crime rates are FAR above the national average according to FBI stats, with property crime more than double that of the rest of the US.   Everywhere you look, the thin veneer of civilization that we all rely upon on a daily basis is disappearing.   Our once civilized society has been replaced by one that is absolutely teeming with predators, addicts, perverts and serial criminals of various types.   Sadly, the sentence above even describes the man currently residing in the White House and his family.   In such an environment, it is difficult for anyone to feel truly safe. When I came across the following story about the murder of a notorious rapper, I thought that it really summed up where we are as a society today…   Rapper PnB Rock posted a video to his Instagram showing off diamond chains just before being shot and killed in a robbery at a chicken eatery in Los Angeles after his girlfriend gave away their location by tagging it in a post.   The rapper, 30, was shot to death around 1 p.m. on Monday at a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in south Los Angeles, police said, days after revealing he’d been the target of several recent failed robbery attempts.   In the video posted to his Stories on his since-deleted Instagram, Rock is seen wearing a Louis Vuitton sweatshirt with massive diamond chains around his neck as he raps into the camera while driving around with his influencer girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang just before the fatal shooting.   In the days ahead, it won’t matter which side you are on.   Everyone will be a target.   Things didn’t have to turn out this way.   If we would have clung to the values of our forefathers, our nation would be a far different place today.   But instead we have consistently chosen wicked leaders that have put us on a course that leads to national suicide, and only a very small portion of the population is loudly objecting to this.   If you love this country, what has happened to us should deeply, deeply sadden you.   The elite thought that they were setting up their version of a “utopia”, but instead what they have given us is an endless nightmar

Although The World Works To Redefine Human Rights, No Legal Ruling Changes Biblical Truth – Answers in Genesis - https://harbingersdaily.com/although-the-world-works-to-redefine-human-rights-no-legal-ruling-changes-biblical-truth/   As God’s image bearers, humans are entitled to certain rights—but the Creator, not culture, makes the rules.   According to the United Nations website, “Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.”   It’s quite common today for an array of cultural voices to appeal to human rights as justification for their ideas and agenda. For example, in June 2022, when the US Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, news headlines and social media posts lamented the loss of the basic human right of abortion.   But where do human rights come from? Is everyone really entitled to them? And what happens when these rights conflict with what Scripture teaches?   Rights and Worldview   In general, the evolution model explains human rights as a socially evolved concept that is currently beneficial to society. They are not a required moral reality and could be easily changed or swept away in the continued process of evolution.   According to dictators like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao, human rights—if they exist at all—come from the ruling elites and only some people are worthy to access these rights. We see a similar mindset today as the communist government of China commits genocide against the Uyghurs, whom they arbitrarily deem undeserving of human rights.   Religions like Islam, with its low view of Jews and “infidels,” or Hinduism, with its caste system, would say human rights originate from some sort of deity but don’t apply equally to all.   In all manmade worldviews—which is everything but biblical Christianity—humans are ultimately attempting to construct and define human rights. If human rights originate from man, they can be added to, subtracted from, modified, revoked, or selectively applied by man. Old rights can be withdrawn to coerce and control people. New rights can be easily invented to push an agenda.   A striking example shows up in today’s LGBTQ movement. As a whole, the movement seeks to redefine human rights to include almost any sexual preference or any gender feelings at any given moment. LGBTQ revolutionaries have co-opted the language of America’s civil rights movement and equate the demand for the equality of those with different innate ethnicities to the demand for equality of those with various sexual preferences. They argue that, just as people of all skin shades receive equal rights, so should people of diverse sexual inclinations or variant feelings of gender.   Advocates argue that the Civil Rights Movement and today’s LGBTQ crusade are essentially the same fight. They dogmatically claim they’re both fighting for the rights of people and that sexual preference and skin shade are the same fundamental issue because in both cases the person is born with those characteristics. Is this equivalence true? Not even close.   Born That Way?   The mission of the Civil Rights Movement was good, true, and biblical. Every person, no matter their ethnicity, deserves unconditional equal treatment as an image bearer of the living God. The diverse, immutable physical traits that people possess from birth, such as skin shade, display God’s beautiful creativity and in no way affect their inherent, indelible value.   However, an individual’s sexual preference is just that—preference. It is a choice. Of course, LGBTQ zealots reject this truth as they demand everyone accept that those who engage in the LGBTQ lifestyle are just “born that way.” But this argument quickly falls apart with a little investigation and logical, biblical thinking.   First, there is currently no biological or genetic basis for homosexuality. Any future discovery to suggest a scientific basis would simply confirm the fall’s corruption on mankind (Genesis 3).   Secondly, since we descend from Adam, all humans are born with sinful inclinations of various sorts. But having a sinful orientation or desire does not make that desire good, normative, or just. Someone inclined toward violence is not justified in beating his wife or children. Someone physically attracted to another person isn’t justified in committing adultery. Whatever the influencing factors, a sin is still a choice. And to choose any sexual activity outside the bounds of God’s design revealed in his Word is a sin, not a right.   Mankind’s Whims and God’s Word   Rights ultimately come from the Creator God—even the US Declaration of Independence acknowledges such when it says “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Without the one true God, human rights are nothing more than the whims of men that come and go like the ocean’s tides. And those tides can quickly change. In fact, those who call loudest for human rights often happily modify or take away the rights of others if those rights conflict with their definitions.   The Bible, God’s revelation of reality, says something much different and infinitely better. “Human rights” is a title given to a God-ordained truth that every human being has equal and inherent value far above any other aspect of creation. Why? Because every human being is made in the image of the living God (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13; Jeremiah 1:5). Humanity is the crowning jewel of God’s creation. As such, all humans are intrinsically worthy of dignity, respect, care, and love.   Rightly understood, human rights come from God and are defined by God. The revelation of God in his creation, created order, and his Word provides the parameters for his image bearers’ rights. So when someone says, “A woman has a right to abortion,” we can authoritatively say, “No, she doesn’t,” because Scripture informs us that an unborn child is also a human (Psalm 139:14) and abortion takes a child’s life. That’s called murder, and murder is a sin, not a right. Or when someone declares that same sex marriage is a right, again we can boldly and lovingly state that it is not. God defined marriage and sexuality when he created male and female (Genesis 1:27), and Scripture is clear that homosexual behavior is sinful (Romans 1:26; 1 Timothy 1:9–11). Anything opposed to his revelation in the Bible is a sin, not a right.   Though the UN or other groups may attempt to redefine human rights and justice systems may pass laws advancing those alleged rights, no legal ruling changes the biblical outlines of sin and human value.   Based on Scripture, every human bears the image of God and unequivocally has human rights. Thankfully, our innate, invariable human rights come from God, not man, and are clearly understood from God’s revelation.

The Prince and His Power - By Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/09/13/the-prince-and-his-power-by-terry-james/   Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli has often been called the “father of modern political philosophy and political science.” He was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, writer, playwright, and poet of the Renaissance Period.   He was often brought up during my hours spent at university. He seemed to me to be both admired and disdained by the professors who stood before us at lectures. It was a strange alchemy of thought that sometimes confused—at least yours truly—while the professors both lauded and lambasted this strange purveyor of political presumption.   Always central to their lectures was Machiavelli’s most famous work, written in 1513—The Prince. This is a brief treatise on how to acquire power, create a state, and keep it. The book represents Machiavelli’s effort to provide a guide for political action based on the lessons of history and his own experience as a foreign secretary in Florence, Italy.   Most of my professors, even during those days of the early 1960s, lectured from the socialist perspective. The lectures hadn’t quite become the Marxist-oriented lies we hear being spewed today, but the anti-America-as-founded propaganda was plenteous, even back then.   As I say, the professors seemed to admire this man and his work—and detest him and his treatise at the same time. Almost always, they blamed any political ideology that opposed the socialist view as being Machiavellian in its wickedness.   Today, the political left, while not mentioning the Machiavellian model at all, totally embraces its methodologies.   Probably the best way to characterize winning and sustaining power within the model presented by The Prince is “ends justify means.” Machiavelli viewed injuring enemies as a necessity. He stated: “If an injury is to be done to a man, it should be so severe that the prince should not be in fear of revenge.” The prince must be absolutely ruthless in order to win and sustain his power.   We see this Machiavellian principle in today’s national and geo-global politics. Injury by use of forced compliance by the globalist cabal of the new world order sort is employed every minute of every day by those seeking to tear down national sovereignty.   Compliance with globalist mandates, no matter who is hurt, is at the heart of the ruthlessness. They state they’re determined to pare down the populations of humanity on the planet over which they intend to rule—all, of course, for saving the planet.   In preparation for the “prince that shall come,” can we discern the Machiavellian principle in play? I believe the answer is more than obvious. Can you say “Trump derangement syndrome”?   In America—and across the world, for that matter—the borders of nations are forced open by the globalist leaders, all of whom seem to be in lockstep. They open borders so that other peoples can flood through the openings. Into America they come by the hundreds of thousands—even millions—with most of the illegals unvaccinated, unchecked as to criminal background.   Even though there is pushback by some, the resistance is relatively small by comparison to the immensity of the problem of nations being overrun. This is because the world’s mainstream media is a part of the collective globalist mindset. Their narrative, their full propaganda machinery engine, is pushing the drive to bring about a new world order. Opposition and resistance to this movement are suppressed at every turn.   This should be no surprise because everywhere we look, we see humanity going against the God of Heaven and His directives for mankind. We don’t have to be male or female as God brought us into this world. We can be whatsoever gender we choose. Man doesn’t have to be joined to woman in sexual oneness; we can choose which sex to engage with in such activity, totally apart from the God of Heaven.   It is okay for children as young as 2 or 3 to begin the transition from their birth gender to whichever gender their parent says the child should become.   This is pushed by media at every level now, every hour of every day. This is because they—the media—have as their supreme leader the prince of the power of the air. We understand this from the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians.   “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).   Satan is that prince of the power of the air. He dominates the dissemination of the falsehoods we are incessantly bombarded with while the new world order is being prepared for the “prince that shall come.”   But we who are in Christ—who are saved by belief in His death, burial and resurrection—have nothing to fear while we endure this demonic construction taking place. Satan’s prince will be dealt with by another prince. Here is what God promises those who are in His eternal family.   “And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” (Daniel 8:24-25)   True power resides with the King of all kings. Jesus is that Prince, that coming King of Revelation 19:11. If you are not yet, but want to be a member of that holy Kingdom, here, again, is how.   “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Bidenflation - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   He keeps saying it. And he keeps expecting people to believe it. Inflation is under control, he says. What planet is Joe Biden on? Have you been to the grocery store lately? Have you filled up your car with gas? Oh yes, gas prices are down a little, but food prices continue to soar. And Mr. Bidenflation continues say it’s all good. On Tuesday, Biden brought in the big guns to celebrate the Inflation Reduction Act. Yep, James Taylor sang some songs on the South Lawn of the White House and Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer and Joe Manchin joined Joe in hopes that their appearance will give Americans confidence that we can declare inflation over with, kind of like how COVID disappeared.   Biden gushed about the Inflation Reduction Act, saying “I said it then and I’ll keep saying it: With this law, the American people won and special interest lost. Say it again: The American people won and special interest lost…After all, this bill cut costs for families, helped reduce inflation at the kitchen table, because that’s what they look at — how much are their monthly bills and how much do they have to pay out for their necessities. And it gave them just a little more breathing room, as my dad would say…This bill alone is going to lower the deficit by $300 billion over the next decade.” In fact, reputable think tanks, including the prestigious Wharton-Penn Budget model, predict it will have zero impact on inflation, after raising inflation initially. And a $300 billion reduction in the deficit is hardly something to celebrate against $31 Trillion in debt.   They all applauded his victory lap speech. The media ate it up, too. AP reported that inflation eased for the second straight month. And then the truth comes out, but everyone is too wrapped up in James Taylor to ponder it. Truth is, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday that consumer prices rose three-tenths of a percentage point in August. America is still experiencing the hottest inflation in 40 years. And these jokers—the media and the White House—expect you to believe everything is cool. The price of food at home jumped 0.7% compared with the previous month. Over the past 12 months, grocery prices have gone up 13.5%–eggs up 39.8%, potatoes up 15.2%, bread up 16.2%, ham up 9.2%.   This is just another example of how this government and the news media are in cahoots about gaslighting folks like you and me into thinking a sewer smells like a rose bed. They say that the Inflation Reduction Act lowered taxes, when it raises taxes; that it lowers the deficit, when it doesn’t; that it lowers healthcare costs, when it doesn’t. that it lowers inflation, when it won’t. In fact, Biden sells this as the cure-all for everything—Go back to your homes, everything is all right. One thing the Inflation Reduction Act does do—it incentivizes (new term for government wealth redistribution) the buying of electric cars, so you can bet that these crooked politicians are getting their pockets filled by the manufacturers. Electric cars that even California can’t charge because of the blackouts. As in Jeremiah 9:8, “Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit.” Say it with me…Stupidocrisy.

Daily Devotion: The Value of Discipleship - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ —Acts 20:35   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-value-of-discipleship/ - Listen   A true mark of spiritual maturity is taking our eyes off ourselves and thinking of others. As believers, we should be looking for ways to tell others about Jesus and “disciple” them.   Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV). This is called the Great Commission, and Jesus is saying here that He will be with the person who does this. What does it mean to “disciple” people? It means taking them under your wing and helping them get on their feet spiritually.   Discipling is important not only for new believers but also for older believers. The older believers discipling the younger believers stabilize them and are in turn energized by doing so.   When you’ve been going to church for 10 or 20 years, you might start critiquing things. The music is a little too loud, or the sermons seem a little too long. Maybe you gripe and complain sometimes. But if you have a brand-new believer with you, you won’t be critiquing the sermon or criticizing the church. After the service, that new believer might say, “The pastor said this, and I’ve never heard that before.” Suddenly, you find yourself elaborating on the message. It’s helping you and them.   Yet, many of us aren’t sharing the truth; we’re hoarding it. But there’s joy in sharing. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 NKJV).   Look for opportunities to initiate conversations about Christ. To the best of your ability, seek to lead people to the Lord and then “disciple” them.