THIS IS REALITY, NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY

 

This Is Reality, Not a Conspiracy Theory - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/04/22/this-is-reality-not-a-conspiracy-theory-by-daymond-duck/   Concerning world government: on Apr. 13, 2023, The Gateway Pundit posted an article by Joe Hoft, author, and contributor to their website, concerning a Steve Bannon interview of Michele Bachmann on The War Room.   Hoft reported that Michele Bachmann (attorney, Dean of Robertson School of Government at Regent Univ., first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota) said:   In July 2022, Pres. Biden was pushing an amendment to an agreement (on international health regulations; IHRs) with the UN World Health Organization (WHO) that would “prevent Americans from doing anything that the World government didn’t want to be done and would, in essence, take away all rights of Americans in an emergency like COVID,” but “a couple of small African countries stopped it.” “We have had a one-year reprieve, thank God. “We’re exactly where we were one year ago.” “The Biden Administration is trying to push all 194 nations to give up their sovereignty on health care (at the upcoming WHO Assembly meeting on May 21-30, 2023), which is really just give up your sovereignty to the World Health Organization…”   According to Bannon, China owns the WHO, and America’s Bill of Rights means nothing to these people.   Here is a link to the Hoft article:   https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/04/the-biden-administration-is-trying-to-push-all-194-nations-to-give-up-their-sovereignty-to-the-who-dean-michele-bachmann-with-steve-bannon/   Leo Hohmann (author and independent journalist) wrote an article about this for a ministry called Absolute Truth from the Word of God.   As I understand it, Hohmann said:   The Biden regime is pushing amendments to the IHRs that will give the WHO the power to dictate U.S. policy whenever there is a declared public health emergency of regional or international concern. By declaring a public health emergency, the WHO will be allowed to force every nation to require their people to wear a mask, obey lockdowns, and be vaccinated. The agreement will prevent Americans from doing anything that the United Nations world government apparatus doesn’t want to be done. In essence, the agreement will take away all rights (freedom of speech, religion, etc.) of Americans in an emergency like COVID. The Biden administration is trying to avoid a vote in the U.S. Senate by calling the agreement an “accord” instead of a “treaty.” The agreement means the death of the American republic as we know it. According to Hohmann, Bachmann said, everyone on earth will be given a digital identity with a QR code that will be linked to their electronic medical records, and ultimately to a digital currency that will be controlled by the UN through the WHO. Hohmann added that Bachmann said, “Once you give up freedom, you don’t get it back.”   As far as I am concerned, what Hoft, Bachmann, and Hohmann said is reality, not a conspiracy theory.   (Important: Be aware that if world leaders approve the amendments to the IHRs, and they probably will, the nations will be granted a short period of time to acquire the people and equipment to put them into effect.)   Here is a link to the Hohmann article:   https://grandmageri422.me/2023/04/13/u-s-government-leading-all-nations-into-global-beast-system-that-would-require-compliance-with-digital-health-tyranny-enforced-by-u-n-world-health-organization/   Here is more evidence that the prophesied world government is near.   One, concerning the decline of America and a possible digital global currency: on Apr. 12, 2023, it was reported that the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and So. Africa) have agreed to create a new common currency, and they have scheduled a meeting in Aug. 2023 to discuss the issue.   First, they will start trading with each other in their own currencies. Second, they will create a new common currency (the yuan or perhaps a digital currency) and start trading in that. Third, after their new common currency is established, they will seek to get other nations to use it.   The goal is to improve trade among themselves and to weaken the U.S.   Two, concerning natural disasters increasing in frequency and intensity at the end of the age: Fort Lauderdale, FL, has been averaging 3.52 inches of rain in the month of April.   On Apr. 12, 2023, the city received 20 inches of rain in 12 hours.   It was characterized as an extreme, historic, record-breaking, life-threatening event.   Three, concerning corruption in the White House: on Apr. 13, 2013, it was reported that China has given records to U.S. Senate Republicans that are investigating the Bidens.   According to the report, Sen. Ron Johnson said the records show that Chinese banks gave millions of dollars to Hunter Biden.   For years, the Democrats claimed that Pres. Trump had ties with the Russians, and their claims have been proven to be false.   Now, U.S. Senate has solid evidence that the Biden family had ties with communist China, the information confirms the information on Hunter’s laptop and from other sources, but the Democrats don’t seem concerned about it.   Four, concerning the signs of the end of the age: on Apr. 10, 2023, one of America’s greatest prophecy teachers, Jan Markell, posted an article titled “The Set-Up: Ten Indicators the Hour is Late.”   Jan’s incredible list should convince anyone that knows very much about Bible Prophecy that the Tribulation Period is looming.   Jan’s Ten Indicators are bolded below (and my response is in parenthesis).   The world lacks a leader. (Several world leaders are now calling for a new form of leadership.) The rise to prominence of a globalist outfit—the World Economic Forum (WEF)—that is paving the way for a one-world government. (Under the influence of the WEF, a group of wealthy unelected leaders has bought or seized control of several governments.) The Bible prophesies a coming cashless society. (The cashless society is developing now, and it only needs to be global by the middle of the Tribulation Period.) The last three years, the frightened masses chose to trust in government due to fear of a health crisis and pandemic. (Beginning with the Covid-19 pandemic, deceit is reigning all over the world.) We now have artificial intelligence that is as intuitive and as intelligent as humans. (It is now possible for the False Prophet to build a statue of the Antichrist that talks.) There is civil unrest and lawlessness in two-dozen nations. (Jesus said there will be distress of nations with perplexity at the end of the age.) Wars and rumors of wars are stirring. (Wars and rumors of wars make the news every day.) The days of Noah haunt us. (In the days of Noah, there was corruption of all flesh, and the earth was filled with corruption and violence.) There is a stunning rise in darkness, as predicted in II Timothy 3:13. (Today, there is a drastic decline in adherence to Biblical truth.) There is Temple fever among the religious in Israel. (Today, there is a growing desire for the orthodox Jews to rebuild the Temple.)   Before leaving Jan’s list of indicators, Jan noted that five perfect red heifers were shipped from Texas to Israel in the fall of 2022, and she reported that four of them remain perfect enough to be sacrificed.   Five, concerning persecution increasing at the end of the age: on Apr. 13, 2023, LifeSiteNews posted an article by Jean Mondoro that said a Family Research Council (FRC) study shows that violent attacks against U.S. churches are increasing.   According to the FRC, in the last five years, there were 420 documented acts of hostility (vandalism, arson, gun incidents, hate crimes, etc.) at 397 churches in 45 different states and Washington, D.C., and these incidents are on the rise.   Jesus and other writers of Scripture reveal that the hostile acts will continue to increase, and people who become believers during the Tribulation Period will pay with their life.   But they will be raised from the dead at the Second Coming and reign with Jesus during the Millennium.   Six, concerning the Tribulation Period: Jesus said, “And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:22).   I have long believed that this prophecy could be fulfilled using nuclear or biological weapons.   It now seems that there is another threat.   On Apr. 17-18, 2023, Elon Musk warned that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has “the potential of civilization destruction.”   Seven, concerning world government: it has been my opinion for several years that the final Gentile world kingdom (Dan. 2) will have one central government with one powerful leader called the Antichrist.   But before the Antichrist rises to power, the world will be divided into ten regions or ten toes or ten groups of nations.   There will be a leader over each group for a total of ten leaders that are called the ten horns or ten kings in the Bible (Dan. 7:24; Rev. 17:12).   It has been my understanding that the globalists have a three-step plan:   Divide the world into ten regional trading blocks of nations (a financial or economic New World Order). Change the rules to convert the ten regional trading blocks of nations into ten regional political blocks of nations (a political New World Order). Merge the ten regional political blocks of nations into a one-world government.   The three nations on the North American Continent (the U.S., Mexico, and Canada) would be merged into one region patterned after the EU.   This region has been called the North American Union (NAU), and the USMCA (the U.S., Mexico, and Canada).   There are many things that I don’t have space to go into (a NAU flag, currency, etc.), but I want to briefly mention something that happened on Apr. 14, 2023.   On that day, according to the New American, “the first freight railway linking the United States, Mexico, and Canada – essentially a USMCA Super Railway” came into being, “making it a key supply chain within the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).”   In 2001, Keith Creel (the CEO that now heads up the railroad) said, “This de facto USMCA Super Railway is a major step in the globalist’s plan for a North American Union, as it further integrates a major component of the economies of all three countries along regional lines. Such regional lines result in the erosion of national sovereignty and the individual economic identity of all three countries.”   Merging the three North American nations into a regional trading block (a single economic unity) is a necessary step toward the arrival of one of the Ten Kings.   Here is a link to the article.   https://thenewamerican.com/from-vancouver-to-veracruz-final-spike-driven-for-usmca-super-railway/?mc_cid=eabaf85278&mc_eid=551904ee4c   Eight, concerning world government: it will be headed up by a Satan worshipper called the Antichrist (Rev. 13:4-8).   In a Mar. 30, 2023, article by Jon Watkins, he quoted Michael Snyder:   “Today, Satan has become one of the hottest spiritual figures in America, and that is unlikely to change any time soon.”   “The following comes from a Newsweek article entitled …The Devil is front and center in movies, TV shows, podcasts, and even children’s books. There are Satan After School Clubs, while the proliferating Satanist groups have their own political divisions.”   “On top of everything else, a major convention is coming up. It is being billed as the ‘largest Satanic gathering in history,’ and it is being held in Boston at the end of April.”   Here is a link to the article:   https://www.exposingsatanism.org/the-enemy-of-humanity-is-more-popular-than-ever/   Finally, are you Rapture Ready?   If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.   duck_daymond@yahoo.com

Israel at 75: A Rich Past, A Challenging Present and A Glorious Future! – Olivier Melnick - https://www.newantisemitism.com/antisemitism/israel-at-75-a-rich-past-a-challenging-present-and-a-glorious-future   Against all human expectations and according to God’s promises, Israel is still standing. We celebrate the 75th birthday of the modern Jewish State on Yom Ha’azmaut, also known as Israel’s Independence Day. Here are seven reasons to join the celebration.   We celebrate because of Israel’s survival.   In her entire history, Israel has been the epitome of survival. From the moment God created a people and gave them land and a law, Israel became a prime target in the world. From Pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph, to Haman to the Amalekites, the Bible is already replete with Israel’s foes. Post-biblical history continues to trace the lineage of the Jewish people as it is punctuated by acts of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism, going from verbal to violent to lethal, peaking with the Holocaust. In spite of all the anti-Semitic hatred, Israel has survived. In spite of all the wars against her from 1948 to today, and miraculously, Israel has survived. In spite of the current waves of terrorism, Israel will survive because Israel’s complete annihilation would make God a liar and covenant breaker (Jeremiah 31:35-37.)   We celebrate because of Israel’s innovative spirit   When the Jewish people started to organize under the leadership of Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann in the late 1890s, survival was of the essence, but creativity went hand in hand with the spirit of survival. Zionism was the catalyst for a mass migration to the land of our ancestors. From a place of swamps, rocks, desert and almost no vegetation, Israel has become one of the world’s foremost providers of fresh produce. Drip irrigation was an Israeli invention out of necessity. Much more has come to our modern world from Israeli ingenuity. It makes the job of the proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) very complicated if they choose to be ethically consistent, but they seldom do!   We celebrate because Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East   This little sliver of land the size of New Jersey almost becomes a drop of water as one places it within the whole ocean of Arab countries surrounding her. Muslim governments vary from somewhat moderate to fully Sharia-compliant. Women, homosexuals and even people of other faiths are often abused verbally AND physically, with their rights taken away from them. The one country in the Middle East where Arabs and Jews can actually coexist (at least from an Israeli perspective) is Israel. There are even Arabs as members of the Knesset (Israel Parliament.)   We celebrate because Israel is a safe haven for the Jewish people.   Jewish people have been in the Diaspora (Dispersion), since the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. We can be found just about anywhere in the world, even though there are only 15 million of us. Yet, it is becoming increasingly evident that the only safe haven for Jewish people worldwide is Eretz Yisrael. Anti-Semitism is on the rise everywhere. Jews are being killed in Europe, the Middle East and even America, simply for being Jewish. Nevertheless, God promised that the Jews would return to the Land of Israel (Ezekiel 37), and we see that very prophecy being fulfilled in our lifetime.   We celebrate because the re-birth of Israel set the stage for much of the Bible to be fulfilled.   Unfortunately, today when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people, fact-finding is the last thing people are interested in! In 1948, when Israel was reborn, the stage was set for many prophecies to be fulfilled. The rebirth of Israel might not be specifically prophesied in the Bible, but without its rebirth, much of the end times events would not have become a reality.   Jacob’s descendants would regain control of Israel – Amos 9:14-15 Israel would be brought back to life – Ezekiel 37:10-14 Isaiah spoke of Israel being reborn in one day after the Tribulation – Isaiah 66:7-8 Israel would be re-established as a united nation – Ezekiel 37:21-22 Israel would be more impressive the second time – Jeremiah 16:14-15 Ezekiel predicted when Israel would be re-established – Ezekiel 4:3-6 The people of Israel would return to “their own land” – Ezekiel 34:13 God would watch over the people of Israel – Jeremiah 31:10 Israel’s army would be disproportionately powerful – Leviticus 26:3, 7-8 The fortunes of the people of Israel would be restored – Deuteronomy 30:3-5   We celebrate because of God’s promises to Israel   Some people believe in God, while others don’t, but that doesn’t prevent God from keeping his promises for Israel, and they are numerous:   God made a covenant with Abraham: Genesis 12:1-3 God gave specific boundaries: Genesis 15:18-21 God’s covenant was reconfirmed through Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and his 12 sons: Genesis 26:2-4, 28:13, 50:24 Israel will never be destroyed because of God’s promise of eternal protection: Jeremiah 31:35-37   We celebrate because of Israel’s glorious future promised by God.   As bleak as the present looks, especially from a human perspective, Israel has a guaranteed glorious future, and that is indeed a cause for celebration.   God promised Israel a New Covenant when He will remember their sins no more: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Israel’s glorious future includes a final restoration to the land: Ezekiel 39:25-29 Israel’s glorious future is secure because of God’s character: Ezekiel 36:22-28   Happy Independence Day, Happy 75th Birthday and Am Yisrael Chai!

The Beginning of A One World Digital Currency System? – Brandon Smith - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=6044   There has been extensive discussion in the past couple of years within alternative media circles about the dangers of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs); a currency framework very similar to blockchain-based products like Bitcoin but directly controlled by central bankers.   It's a threat that some analysts including myself have been writing about for more than a decade, so it's good to finally see the issue being addressed more in the mainstream.   The Orwellian nature of CBDCs cannot be overstated. In a cashless society most people would be dependent on digital products for exchanging goods and labor, and this would of course mean the end of all privacy in trade. Everything you buy or sell or work for in your life would be recorded, and this lack of anonymity could be used to stifle your freedoms in the future.   For example, say you like to eat steak regularly, but the increasingly authoritarian government decides to list red meat as a health risk and a "climate change risk" due to carbon emissions from cows. They determine by your purchase history (which they have full access to) that you have contributed more carbon pollution than most people by eating red meat often.   They declare that you must pay a retroactive carbon tax on your past purchases of red meat. Not only that, but your insurance company sends you a letter indicating that you are a medical risk and they cut off your health coverage.   Products you consume and services you use can be tracked to create a psychological profile on you, which could then become a factor in determining your social-credit score, just as CCP authorities do in China today. Maybe you refuse to purchase an annual mRNA booster shot, and the tracking algorithm makes a note of this. Now you are under suspicion for being "anti-vax" and your social-credit score plummets, cutting you off from various public venues. Maybe you are even fired from your job.   In the worst-case scenario, though, economic access is the greatest oppressive tool. With CBDCs in place and no physical cash in existence, your savings will never be truly yours and you'll never be able to hold your purchasing power in your hands. The means of exchange would be bottlenecked by the banks, and governments would have the option to freeze your ability to transact.   If one day you get angry about a particular government policy and openly call the system corrupt on social media, they can simply shut off your option to transfer your digital money to others until you submit, or die.   CBDCs give establishment officials the leverage to starve their political opponents with algorithmic precision. It would be a new world of technocratic oppression.   It's important to understand that central bankers are moving at breakneck speed to develop and introduce digital currencies. It's not a matter of experimentation, they already have these systems ready to implement. The Federal Reserve's instant transfer program "FedNow" is set to debut this July, which is not a CBDC but it is an intermediary step towards instituting CBDCs in the near term.   In my investigations of various CBDC programs and how quickly they are progressing I came across an interesting program called "Project Icebreaker" being run by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). For those not aware, the BIS is a globalist institution with a clandestine past known as the "central bank of central banks." It is the policy-making hub for most of the central banks in the world.   If you ever wondered how it was possible for so many national central banks to operate in tandem with each other instead of acting in the interests of the countries they reside in, the BIS is the answer. In other words, organizations like the Federal Reserve are not necessarily loyal to Americans or to American officials, they are loyal to the dictates of the BIS.   The BIS is at the forefront of the movement towards the adoption of CBDCs. They have been funding a vast array of projects to test and refine CBDC technology and as of this year they estimate that at least 81 central banks around the world are in the midst of introducing digital-currency systems.   Project Icebreaker in particular grabbed my attention for a number of reasons. The BIS describes the project as a foreign exchange clearing house for Retail CBDCs (retail CBDCs are digital currencies used by the regular public and businesses), enabling the currencies to be traded from country to country quickly and efficiently. This is accomplished using the "Icebreaker Hub", a BIS-controlled mechanism which facilitates data transfers for an array of transactions while connecting banks to other banks.   Investigating further I realized that the Icebreaker Hub in theory functions almost exactly like the SWIFT payment system used currently by governments and international banks. More than 10,000 financial institutions in 212 different countries use the SWIFT network to transfer funds overseas for their clients; it is an incredible centralization bottleneck that gives its shareholders considerable power.   As a point of reference, after the start of the war between Ukraine and Russia, the expulsion of Russia from the SWIFT network was used as a weapon in an attempt to crash the Russian economy. Russia has found ways around using SWIFT because of their trade relationships with major economies like China and India, but some damage has still been done to their financial structure.   Now imagine that you operate a business that relies on overseas transactions; say you need to pay manufacturers in Vietnam or Taiwan to produce your products. With CBDCs in place you will most likely be completely dependent on a system similar to the Icebreaker Hub to move than digital money to Vietnamese banks and into the accounts of your manufacturers. Say officials at the BIS, for whatever reason, decide they don't like you and they initiate Russian-style sanctions denying your access to the hub. Your business is now dead.   What if you had to meet certain standards in order to be allowed use of the hub, and the BIS dictates the standards? What if the BIS decides that your company needs to meet woke ESG related categories before you can get permission for Icebreaker transactions? Now the BIS has the ability to manipulate social and cultural trends using your business and millions of other businesses as forced messengers.   For the average consumer who does most of their transactions within their home country this might not sound like a big deal. But, for the business world, a SWIFT-like hub for retail CBDCs could be used to dominate all international trade. Running any kind of larger organization or company would mean bowing to the whims of the BIS.   It gets worse, though...   Part of the process of the "spoke and wheel" exchange method used by the Icebreaker Hub includes the exploitation of a "bridge currency" to fill gaps in exchange rates and liquidity. On the surface this seems like a clever way to speed up transactions by avoiding cross-currency shortages at banks. That said, I want readers to think about the long-term path that this kind of "bridging" sets in motion in the realm of CBDCs.   Let's say there is a global-scale economic crisis event which causes many currencies to fluctuate wildly. Lets say, for example, that the US dollar loses its world-reserve status and petro status and this sends FX (foreign exchange) markets into a panic. Price inflation becomes rampant and banking institutions falter under liquidity pressures.   Let's say that central bankers introduce CBDCs as a solution to the problem, and the BIS Icebreaker Hub as the intermediary for international trade. The populace is so frightened by the economic crash that they then embrace the digital framework. Now let's say that the BIS claims they still can't find a currency they consider stable enough to act as a means to bridge most global transactions. What happens then?   Well, "luckily" for all of us the BIS and IMF have been working on their own GLOBAL CBDC. In the case of the IMF, this one-world currency would be based around the Special Drawing Rights basket system they have been using for decades to broker currency transfers between national governments. The BIS then uses this one-world currency product as the bridge for Icebreaker going forward.   Eventually the BIS, IMF and various central banks will ask the public the inevitable question: "Why are we bothering with these national currency exchanges when we have a perfectly good bridge currency in the form of this one-world CBDC? Why don't we just get rid of all these superfluous national CBDCs and have one currency for everyone?"   Thus, total global financial centralization would be achieved. And once you have a one-world currency, a completely centralized and micro-managed global economy and the most vital trade systems in the world controlled by a tiny handful of faceless unelected bureaucracies, why then have nations at all? Global government would be the next and final step.   I can see the nightmare play out when I look at projects like Icebreaker. They are seemingly innocuous, but they act as the DNA by which economic tyranny is given birth.

Christians in an Anti-Christian World - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-4-23-2023/   A few years ago, we would often hear that the United States had entered a post-Christian era. Looking back, it’s amazing how fast post-Christian turned into anti-Christian. The Facebook pages of certain groups show an amazing number of anti-Christian memes. They don’t present thoughtful arguments, but cute little one-liners.   And the vitriol is stunning. They seethe with hatred for all things Christian. They hate churches. They hate the individual followers of Jesus. And they hate every hint that this society once held Jesus and the Bible in high esteem.   You wonder who they are arguing with. The commenters on such pages all agree with one another. It’s as if they just want the comfort of knowing that there are people out there who hate God as much as they do.   Sadly, outrage against the Jesus of the Bible and His followers is growing in size and intensity. You may have friends or family members who have been infected.   The natural, human, fleshly thing, would be to respond in kind. That means answering hate with hate. But that’s not what Jesus said to do. These are people for whom He died. Our goal is not to outwit them, make them look foolish, or show them that we, too, can curse like sailors. Our goal is to win them to Christ.   We must not respond by hiding. We should not hide our eyes, pretending that this is just another societal phase, and that all things continue as they have from the beginning. Neither should we hide by retreating into our homes, never venturing beyond our “safe” neighborhoods, and by hunkering down in churches that refuse to engage the world.   In any case, hiding will not long remain an option. When a tornado is ripping apart your home, hiding your eyes does not make you safer. There comes a point when you can’t pretend that everything is normal. If a church preaches God’s word, Satan’s world system will attack it. Your neighborhood may seem quiet on the surface, but it is almost certainly being invaded by drugs, pornography, and hate.   Hiding is fear-based, and our response must be faith-based. Understand what’s going on. But don’t forget that the most important part of any situation is that the God who created all things is still in charge. So, do what He says.   In Matthew 5:44, Jesus gave us explicit instructions. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Daily Jot: Be encouraged for the Lord is with you - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com   Have you ever mourned? Did you ever feel down in the spirit? Have you been humbled? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Have you ever shown mercy? Do you have a pure heart? Have you ever made peace among your friends and family? Do you feel persecuted because of your stand for what’s right? Has anyone ever falsely accused you or spoken bad about you because of your belief and faith in Christ? Then you should be able to look at this dark and dying world and grab onto the promises of Christ for there is much blessing, inheritance and comfort ahead as you will see God and be called a child of God! Be encouraged this day for you have seen another dawn, another opportunity for life.   It is not difficult to look around you and believe what you see. But it is in what you do not see are the blessings and strength and courage found in the Spirit of the Lord. As is written in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Remember this, for your calling is higher and one that is not of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.   These dark and evil times wish to hold you captive, but instead are proving you opportunities to be the salt and light that pierces the darkness. As Christ said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world,” and in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When darkness is hurled at you, you have the power to touch it and it will disappear because it cannot withstand the light which is in you. Indeed, we are living in perilous times where the things around us appear lost in many respects. But do you believe as I do that God works together all things for good to them that love God? Then as is asked in Romans 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”   Romans 8 continues: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As the Lord said in Isaiah 42:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” The natural human instinct is to shrink back under the pressure we feel from government and society. Remember, though, the early Christians were under tremendous persecution from the Roman Empire. They found ways to stand and be courageous. They turned the world upside down. So can you.

Daily Devotion: Pick Up Your Sword - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. —Ephesians 6:17   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/pick-up-your-sword/ - Listen   Before I became a Christian, I read some of the Bible, but it seemed largely meaningless. After I became a Christian, however, the Bible came alive to me.   I remember reading it and understanding it for the first time. It changed my life as I discovered new principles every day for living the Christian life.   When the apostle Paul outlined God’s armor in Ephesians 6, the only piece he listed that is both defensive and offensive is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). With the sword we can block attacks, but we can strike with it as well.   The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible and illuminates the Scriptures for us. And the Holy Spirit enables us to know God’s Word, remember verses we’ve studied, and use them appropriately.   Jesus modeled this for us during His temptation in the wilderness. He responded to each temptation by quoting the Scriptures. He effectively deflected temptation using the sword of the Spirit.   Sadly, a lot of believers have all their spiritual armor in place but never use the sword of the Spirit. They talk about it. They study it. But they never actually use it in spiritual battle.   Meanwhile, the devil knows all too well the power and authority of the Bible, and he will try to keep Christians from it at all costs. He fears the sword. He knows the value of it.   What shape is your sword in? Is it polished from daily use and sharpened on the anvil of experience as you apply and obey its truth in your life? Or, is it rusty from a lack of preparation and dulled by disobedience?   If we neglect Bible study, our spiritual life ultimately will unravel. Everything we need to know about God is found in His Word. So, let’s follow the example of Jesus and use it.