APOCALYPTIC HOPE
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Biff's TESTIMONY...............from Ed's e-mail list:

"  But really, I am not speaking of that, but of "our own walk" with the Lord, in the realization that "He" and "He alone"
(not Mammon or any connection to it) is the real source of our security and peace.....

But I am not speaking here of doing for others.  I am speaking here of the necessity of our doing for God.  As you know, the Lord has already taught us how to make it "easy", concerning Himself and the cares of this life, by our coming to Him and taking His yoke upon us and learning of Him. 

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (the necessities of life that He knows we need) will be added unto you." 
Thus ends all of our concerns and worries over our striving after the "things" of this world, as we enter into the place of our eternal rest and peace with God.!!!

The zeal is there
(not because I've reached some high plateau that others have yet to reach)
but because I was made to know in a very personal way; by the Lord using "me" as a living example of what He is saying, of the real dangers behind Mammom and the evil influence it can have in each of our lives. 

The danger is real, and its roots that penetrate the heart is real!
When the Lord says that we are not to serve "both" God and Mammon,
He means it, and one of them has to go!
God said that we'll despise the one and love the other.  He is telling
us, "Therefore, choose you this day which master you will serve!"  We
cannot serve both! 
We need money to pay Caeser what we owe Caeser,
but we need to be "doers" of the word in order to pay God what we owe
God.  He comes first!  If we take care of the "spiritual" part
(being doers of the word), He'll take care of Caesar
(Matt.17:24-27) and the rest.

My simple testimony is that I once had "Both Roots" embedded in me while a "Christian".  When money was my God I served it with a passion, seeking to suck out from its root in me everything I needed to make and keep me happy, wealthy and secure.  (What a fool!)  It was only when God destroyed my passion by causing me to go broke, thus bringing me to the end of myself, torn, bruised and battered, where I
then, much like the prodigal son, finally came to my senses and repented of my sin against God.  To put it bluntly, the Lord said:
"Choose you now whom you will serve!
It's either My way or the wideway, so make it good
(because I am about to spew you out of My mouth!") 
Our God doesn't make deals!  Two roots in me: God and Self.
One of them had to go, had to die!  No compromise!  That's the way it is!

We are all under some "fear" to a certain extent, knowing the uncertainties and instabilities of this evil world and how everything "could" come crashing down overnight.  What "Y2K" did was to "play" on those fears of ours, and if we let it, we end up being no different than the world, trusting in "our money" and what it can give us
(along with the rest of the world) to buy the things we "might" (or might not) need
to see us through "if" the possible Y2K crisis should ever materialize,
just in case (which it never did).

Is anyone willing to admit that they found "security and confidence" in their money,
using it so that they may "Prepare" ahead of time against any possible emergencies caused by Y2K???  Or even worse, against a world war or the day of antiChrist?  Beware!  There is a pattern here. 
One that MUST be seen and broken before it's too late! 
(Only a love for the truth in seeking out Scriptures as Matthew 6:24-34 with our whole
heart can break it!)

Do you see what I am saying?  "Money" becomes our "Security Blanket",
instead of "Trust" in His word through our seeking to walk after the Spirit, thus dying to the flesh and the things of the flesh!  Take the money away and what do you have?  Nothing!  But you still have your life. 
Take the Spirit away and what do you have?  Nothing,
Nothing, with the loss of eternal life in the bargain.

The Lord IS our Security, not money.  He is our Confidence, not
money.  We all have to learn to "PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM" to see us through
ANY AND EVERY situation, day by day, and not money. 
And I need to "Hear" what I am relaying to you right along with everyone
else, for the Lord is speaking to ALL of us concerning Mammon and its
roots.  Let us all be one with our brothers of Hebrews 11:13-16. 

Let the world worry!  Let the world strive!  Let the world prepare for doom! 
And let us turn our backs on the world, and seek a far away place, a better place, a promised land: The kingdom of God, a place full of love, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!  That's where "we" belong!

What is it that drives out ALL fear?  "LOVE!" 
"Perfect love casts out all fear!!  Love that has been made perfect
has no time to become entangled again with the cares of this life
and the deceit of riches."

I Jn 4:17-19   "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this
world.   There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in
love.   We love Him, because He first loved us."

"AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD!"
"He that feareth (i.e. tribulation, Y2K, for his own life, etc.) is showing by this their
lack of love and trust in the Lord, because they are allowing
themselves to be "influenced" by those fears and are acting according
to "them" rather than God and what He is saying.

"Take no thought for tomorrow!"  "Be not concerned for this world
(1 John 2:15-17)!"  THAT is my message!  So let each of us ask ourselves:
"Do I really believe in my heart that I can give all of my money away
at the drop of a hat and lean totally on the Lord trusting Him for my
every need and my family's every need, and follow Him?"...

Matt 6:24-34
24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat,
or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is,
and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?
or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

I repeat: "Perfect Love casts out ALL fear"! 
"IF" we love Him we will come under His Lordship, die to self,
and obey Him as our Sovereign ruler.  Otherwise, we are going to continue to worry about the "secondary/temporal" things of this life placed under God's wrath
(and be concerned with having enough moola on hand at all times to "buy"
our happiness and security) - OR -

we're going to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness",
and go on seeking, being concerned primarily with Loving God
and making sure we're right with Him, "spiritually", by "doing" what
He is saying we all need to do.

This is and was always my message.  If I let too much of my
"flesh-self" get in the way because I am deeply zealous for you, I
apologize.  This I know...I do not want to be the one who stands
before Him some day saying,
"But Lord, Lord, don't you remember me, the OSAS kid?" 
To which He will reply,
"IF I were your 'Lord', and you were My 'kid', then you would have DONE what I said!"

Let each and every one of us "MAKE SURE" we're standing and at rest,
secure in the "proper" knowledge of Christ who is "both" Lord and Savior,
lest we fall in the most important day of all, the day of His coming again. 
What I want for each of you is what I want for me as well:
The Lord saying to all of us in that day:

Matt 25:23  "...Well done, good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

He is not asking too much of us, and provides the grace in Christ for
our sufficiency to do as He asks.  He asks only to remain faithful
over a "few" things He has given us charge over to conquer and rule
(by the power of His Spirit against the workings of our flesh).

Remember the "conditions"...(YES, "CONDITIONS"!)...
"I'll take care of you in My Perfect Love IF you take care of My words,
by always seeking first My kingdom and My righteousness"...and...

"Because you have remained faithful over the few things I've given you,
I, in turn, will put you in charge of many!  Your love for Me is genuine,
obeying My words! Good job, servant!  Now enter into the "Joy" of thy Lord,
the "Joy" I have always had and share with the Father from eternity."

Amen!  Come, oh come Lord Jesus!

Biff

PS - Pray for me that I may speak boldly

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Blueletter Bible: www.blueletterbible.org