Word

Whose Voice Do You Follow?

October 21, 2021 by Ellen 2 Comments

“What’s going on? The map is showing a right turn, but she’s saying ’Turn left!’ What on earth do I do?”

“It looks like Waze may be talking, and your Apple Car Play maps may be showing a different direction.” My trusted sidekick and traveling companion Carmen – Thelma to my Louise, Lucy to my Ethyl – had discovered the problem. Two GPS programs giving me conflicting directions!

I stopped in the middle of the road. I needed a moment to figure things out.

“Ellen! You can’t just stop in the middle of the road!”

“Watch me!”

And in that instant, I decided to make a U turn, hoping and praying I was going in the right direction. Disclaimer: there was no traffic on the road, and no humans or animals were harmed during this maneuver. Unless you count the mental anguish that I caused Carmen in that moment!

As Christians, we also have dual GPS systems working in our lives. It’s our flesh versus the Holy Spirit of Jesus. I’m sure you’ve fought this battle a time or two. We all have.

We have dual GPS systems working in our lives: Flesh vs Spirit

“For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.” Galatians 5:17 CSB

Imagine those two little people (the ones we always see in the movies), one on each shoulder, arguing against each other all the time. They fight constantly and are polar opposites. There is always conflict and tension.

“Do this!”

“Why are you telling her to do that? This is easier and more fun. Do this instead!”

I don’t know about y’all, but often times I tend toward the path of least resistance. I mean, what’s easier: grabbing a hand full of chips or prepping some veggies for a snack?

(Eat the chips! No, grab the carrots and broccoli!)

How about vegging out on the couch to another episode of Home Town (my favorite people!), versus going for a walk?

(Home Town, Home Town, Home Town)

And what about praying for that politician we don’t agree with and don’t like?

(Ok, we know the right answer, but we don’t always do it!)

Which voice is screaming loudest? Probably the one we want to hear, right?

But which voice should we listen to? The one that will take us in the right direction, the direction we know we need to go? Or the one that will lead us the wrong way, where eventually we must make a U turn?

It’s a battle, for sure. Warren Wiersbe says “If the Holy Spirit controls the body, then we walk in the Spirit; but if the flesh controls the body, then we walk in the lusts (desires) of the flesh. The Spirit and the flesh have different appetites, and this is what creates the conflict.”^⁠1

Scripture tells us how to win this battle in the verses before and after Galatians 5:17.

“…walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 CSB

“…if you are led by the Spirit…” Galatians 5:18 CSB

The verb “walk” in verse sixteen is an imperative, which means it is a command. God commands us to walk in and be led by the Spirit.

Yep, I get it. A command of God, which means I gotta do this to be obedient. And I want to be obedient!!

But HOW?

With practice. We need to habitually listen for and walk in the power of Holy Spirit. Be in God’s Word. Pray and pray some more.

By yielding. To yield means to surrender or relinquish to the control of another; to surrender or submit (oneself) to another. When we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit and His guidance in our lives, we have resurrection power that will enable us to defeat the battle of our flesh.

You know all those marvelous traffic circles popping up everywhere? Many people down here in south Louisiana need to practice yielding. When we yield in the correct way, traffic flows smoothly. We we don’t, what a mess!

To walk in Holy Spirit power, we need to practice being responsive to and guided by the Spirit. We need to make the choice to daily feed His Spirit more than we do our flesh. Our flesh will pull us toward things that will drain the life right out of us.

What this means is, every time we hear that pesky little voice leading us in the wrong direction, we need to make a U turn and follow Holy Spirit’s leading. Plus, we need to continue doing this each and every day, until His voice becomes the only GPS we hear.

Is there too much noise in your life right now? How many voices are screaming for your attention?
How can you practice being sensitive to Holy Spirit leading in your life?

Grace be with you,

Ellen

Do you know Jesus?

¹Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 718). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

The Rapture and the Return

October 13, 2021 by Ellen 2 Comments

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 CSB

“JOHN!! What does this verse mean? I thought Daddy was in heaven! This is saying he’s still in the ground…”

Eighteen years ago, at the time of my Dad’s death, I was a “new” old Christian. That is to say, I was saved at an early age, then drifted away from church as a teen and young adult. Thankfully, God pursued me and brought me back into the fold to a wonderful Bible believing church. I was soaking up God’s Word like a sponge, when my Dad passed away.

I was confident he was in heaven. That’s just what I knew. I didn’t think about where that was, or what it meant. Christians go to heaven when they die. But when I read the scripture in 1 Thessalonians, all I could see was my dad in the ground, not in heaven.

“Honey,” my sweet hubby answered me gently. “Yes, your dad’s body is in the ground, but his spirit is with Jesus. At the rapture, you daddy’s body will rise to meet his spirit, and Jesus, in the air.”

THE RAPTURE OR THE RETURN

Rapture? Huh? I was lost. Is that the second coming? I promised myself then and there that I would learn all I could about heaven, the rapture and end times.

Which brings me to today. I am actually taking an inductive study^⁠1 on the book of Revelation. Which is crazy. I’m 63, retired and homework is not in my vocabulary.

I’m also not an eschatology (end times) expert. I wish I was, though, because it’s an extremely cool sounding word. Try it, and see how it rolls off your tongue: ess ka tahl ah gee. The first thing I would tell you about Revelation is this: you’re blessed if you read it. It’s a book of hope. Jesus and all those who follow Him win in the end. Satan is defeated, praise God!

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 CSB

Many people believe the rapture of the church and Jesus’ second coming are one and the same. Here’s what I’ve learned and come to believe: The rapture and the return are two separate events. Let me attempt to explain why I’ve come to this conclusion and believe this.

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

The rapture is secret, instant (in the twinkling of an eye) and only believers will see Jesus. Jesus comes FOR His church, and believer’s will meet Him in the air. He doesn’t come back to earth at this point. The rapture can happen at any time, and involves removing all believers from the earth before God’s wrath.

At His second coming, Jesus comes back WITH His church. He will actually be back on earth. Everyone will see Him. His second coming will occur at the end of the seven years of tribulation. The second coming marks the return of Christ to bring an end to tribulation by defeating Satan, our enemy. Many things must occur before Jesus’ second coming.^⁠2

*THE RAPTURE*	*THE RETURN*
Jesus comes FOR His Church. John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17	Jesus comes WITH His Church. Colossians 3:4, Zechariah 14:5, Jude 14, Revelation 19:14
Caught up with Him in the air. 1 These. 4:13-18	Jesus’ feet touch the earth. Zech. 14:4, Rev. 19:11-21
Happens in a moment, too fast for eyes to see. 1 Cor. 15:52	Slow coming, people will see Him come back. Matt. 24:30, Rev. 1:7
Only Christians will see Him. 1 John 3:2, 1 Cor. 15:52	Every eye will see Him. Rev. 1:7
Can happen at any time. Rev. 3:3, 1 Thess. 5:4-6	Occurs at end of 7 years of tribulation. Dan. 9:24-27, Matt. 24:29-30, 2 Thess. 2:3-8
Spirits of those dead in Christ return with Jesus to receive their their resurrected bodies 1 Thess 4:14-16	Christians return with Jesus in already resurrected bodies riding on white horses. Rev 19:11-21

This is a very simplified explanation of what I have learned, and what I have come to believe. If you’re not sure what you believe or why, I encourage you to dig into God’s Word for yourself, and draw your own conclusions.

SO WHAT?

So, what does it matter? Why should we study about end times? Several reasons:

To Know God

When I taught through the book of Revelation several years ago, I knew nothing about it. One thing I did see: Even during the Tribulation, our God is a God of second chances. Over and over it seemed the He gave unbelievers the chance to turn to Him.

Studying the end times, we also see that God is Holy and must judge sin. It’s not something we like to think about, but we need to know that judgement is coming.

We also see that God has a purpose and a plan even when things seem out of control. (Kinda reminds me of the world today!). We can trust that He will work all things out for our good and His glory.

To Tell Others

Because we don’t know the day or hour of either event, there is an urgency to tell others about the saving grace of Jesus.

I personally believe that people will be saved during the Tribulation, so why should I be concerned with winning them to Christ now? I imagine the unbelievers I know, going through the hardest times of their life, the Great Tribulation, and realizing they didn’t have to be there.

“If I’d only known about salvation through Jesus, I wouldn’t be here. Why didn’t (insert your name) tell me? Why didn’t they let me know so that I wouldn’t have to go through this? Why wasn’t I told about this day of judgement^⁠3?”

Telling others about Jesus is the most loving thing we can do for them!

Do you know Jesus? If you’ve never accepted His gift of life, click here.

Grace be with you,

Ellen

¹The inductive method of bible study is digging deep into the richness of God’s word. This method is an investigative approach to the Bible using three basic components: Observation Interpretation and Application. Individual study is the first step

²Matthew 24

³Jesus’ first coming (as a babe in the manger) was for the salvation of man. Jesus’ second coming will be for judgement of man.