Encourager

I am amazed each day how the Lord gives me something to write.  I have been a little concerned with Revelation and have wondered, “What can I write about that?”, “What will speak to me today?” and each day something pops out, today was no exception.

We will look at the woe of the sixth trumpet that will sound.

Revelation 9:13-20

“The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.  (14) It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’  (15) And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.  (16) The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million.  I heard their number.

(17) “The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this:  Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur.  The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came, fire, smoke and sulfur.  (18) A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of their mouths.  (19) The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.”

(20) “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. (21) Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge University of Kansas fan.  I am an alumnus, getting my Master of Education degree in 1994.  It is a great school with a unique mascot and the colors, crimson and blue with a touch of yellow.  So, when I read the description of the breastplates I wasn’t very happy but quickly decided the colors must represent fire and power!  Let’s move on to more serious things now because as much as I enjoy KU there is nothing better than studying the word of God.

It doesn’t sound like it would be good to be alive during the sounding of the sixth trumpet.  This scripture reminds me of another time when God was calling His people and they did not listen.  This morning before I turned to Revelation 9 I was drawn to some scriptures in Hebrews.  This scripture spoke about the Israelites in the desert and I thought to myself, “How will this relate to the sixth trumpet?”  God is amazing and moves in amazing ways because I soon found out how the two scriptures tie together. 

First of all, why do you think this woe was brought upon the earth and one-third of the inhabitants were killed?  Our first clue to that is at the end of the chapter, the verses that I have in bold.  Before reading more, stop and read those verses again and think about why God would have brought this upon the earth.

It is my belief, from the verses that I read, that He wanted mankind to repent and He gave them another chance to do so but their hearts were already hardened.  They were practicing things that were not wholesome and they continued to do so.  Does that remind you of anyone in the past?

Hebrews 3: 7-10 “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, (8) do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of the testing in the desert, (9) where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.  (10) That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’  (11) So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’

God is our provider, just as He provided for the Israelites in the desert.  He wants nothing more than for us to seek Him and to recognize Him so He can give us rest.  Hebrews 3:12 - 14 tells us how we should respond to our calling. 

(12)”See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. (13) But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  (14) We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”

Have you encouraged someone today?  Back then they didn’t have blogs, Facebook, computers, or even telephones so that meant daily face to face contact with one another.  Today we have so many means in which we can encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ.  What are you doing? 

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to lift up to you each reader of this blog.  Whether they read this today, tomorrow or far into the future, I ask that you allow your Holy Spirit to come upon them so that if there is any wicked way in them, they will repent before your throne.  I ask that you give them peace and that they may someday enter into your presence as a true believer in You, that they would hold fast to the faith that they have and with confidence they will proclaim Your Word to others.  I pray also Lord that you will forgive me where I have failed you and that you would give me the confidence as well to endure until the end of this life which I now know.  I ask that you allow me to be an encourager to others as they walk the straight and narrow path that leads to you.  In Jesus precious and Holy name I pray, AMEN.

I trust that you will be an encouragement to someone TODAY as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila