Blessed be the Name of our God!

(Daniel 2:20) "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever…”

Have you ever wondered why Daniel says this? “Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.”” (Daniel 2:20)

That question will only ever be understood by those who belong to Him and those who have tasted of His glorious grace. The world will soon begin to apparently fall apart around us, I do not mean the fusing of world coalitions as people across the globe unify with “peace and safety” as their slogan. What I do mean is the creation; God’s creation will begin to groan with what people will refer to as natural phenomenon. Earthquakes, floods and tsunamis will be on the up and it will all be attributed to Mother Nature instead of God’s judgment. Man will continue to frantically save the planet with their global initiatives, but will ultimately fail. Who can resist the will of God? “You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"” (Romans 9:19)

Whatever God has so willed will without question come to pass no matter what or who tries to change it. The potter has total control over His creation, which includes the will of man. And there is a day coming that He will bring His judgment on the earth and all those who live on it. I assure you, this is not a figment of my imagination but the scripture is very clear and this is what it has to say; “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” (Matthew 24:21)

We read about how God destroyed the world by water in the days of Noah. Why? The answer is found in the text in Genesis chapter 6; “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8)

Debauchery will be high on the agenda through the lifestyles of people living on the earth and very little place will be given to the true Creator, a false prophet will arise and deceive many and then a false christ will  arise and claim to be God. Millions will receive him as such, no billions!

To think that this time is not far off as we examine the “times and the seasons” and then God will pour out HIS great tribulation, such has never been witness up until this time. And yet, there will be those crying out O blessed be His name. Go figure! O come and taste and see that the Lord is good, His love and mercies endure forever. Praise His glorious name! Jesus has made the way for all who call on Him to escape such a time without any hope. All of God’s children have this hope; that one day we will be with Him in heaven and we shall be like Him. I am not saying that we will not partake of this time of His judgment, but I am saying just as in the days of Noah although he witnessed the great flood with people perishing around Him that he was kept safe in the Ark. God will look out for His own! It is up to us as Christians to ensure that we store up treasures of grace for this time; we must have His oil in our lamp for this dark double-crossing time. How will we do this, we must vex our soul against all that is evil, we must constantly put on the mind of Christ and just as Lot was saved out of Sodom and Gomorrah so too will we be saved.

For all who hope in Him, this then is our instruction; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8) 

“We are taught to submit ourselves entirely to God: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, Jam_4:7. Christians should forsake the friendship of the world, and watch against that envy and pride which they see prevailing in natural men, and should by grace learn to glory in their submissions to God. “Submit yourselves to him as subjects to their prince, in duty, and as one friend to another, in love and interest. Submit your understandings to the truths of God; submit your wills to the will of God, the will of his precept, the will of his providence.” We are subjects, and as such must be submissive; not only through fear, but through love; not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake. “Submit yourselves to God, as considering how many ways you are bound to this, and as considering what advantage you will gain by it; for God will not hurt you by his dominion over you, but will do you good.” Now, as this subjection and submission to God are what the devil most industriously strives to hinder, so we ought with great care and steadiness to resist his suggestions. If he would represent a tame yielding to the will and providence of God as what will bring calamities, and expose to contempt and misery, we must resist these suggestions of fear. If he would represent submission to God as a hindrance to our outward ease, or worldly preferments, we must resist these suggestions of pride and sloth. If he would tempt us to lay any of our miseries, and crosses, and afflictions, to the charge of Providence, so that we might avoid them by following his directions instead of God's, we must resist these provocations to anger, not fretting ourselves in any wise to do evil. “Let not the devil, in these or the like attempts, prevail upon you; but resist him and he will flee from you.” If we basely yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand it out against him, he will be gone from us. Resolution shuts and bolts the door against temptation.

We are directed how to act towards God, in our becoming submissive to him, Jam_4:8-10. 1. Draw nigh to God. The heart that has rebelled must be brought to the foot of God; the spirit that was distant and estranged from a life of communion and converse with God must become acquainted with him: “Draw nigh to God, in his worship and institutions, and in every duty he requires of you.” 2. Cleanse your hands. He who comes unto God must have clean hands. Paul therefore directs to lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting (1Ti_2:8), hands free from blood, and bribes, and every thing that is unjust or cruel, and free from every defilement of sin: he is not subject to God who is a servant of sin. The hands must be cleansed by faith, repentance, and reformation, or it will be in vain for us to draw nigh to God in prayer, or in any of the exercises of devotion. 3. The hearts of the double-minded must be purified. Those who halt between God and the world are here meant by the double-minded. To purify the heart is to be sincere, and to act upon this single aim and principle, rather to please God than to seek after any thing in this world: hypocrisy is heart-impurity; but those who submit themselves to God aright will purify their hearts as well as cleanse their hands. 4. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. “What afflictions God sends take them as he would have you, and by duly sensible of them. Be afflicted when afflictions are sent upon you, and do not despise them; or be afflicted in your sympathies with those who are so, and in laying to heart the calamities of the church of God. Mourn and weep for your own sins and the sins of others; times of contention and division are times to mourn in, and the sins that occasion wars and fightings should be mourned for. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.” This may be taken either as a prediction of sorrow or a prescription of seriousness. Let men think to set grief at defiance, yet God can bring it upon them; none laugh so heartily but he can turn their laughter into mourning; and this the unconcerned Christians James wrote to are threatened should be their case. They are therefore directed, before things come to the worst, to lay aside their vain mirth and their sensual pleasures, that they might indulge godly sorrow and penitential tears. 5. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. Let the inward acts of the would be suitable to all those outward expressions of grief, affliction, and sorrow, before mentioned.” Humility of spirit is here required, as in the sight of him who looks principally at the spirits of men. “Let there be a thorough humiliation in bewailing every thing that is evil; let there be great humility in doing that which is good: Humble yourselves.” (Matthew Henry)

What will be shall be as God has so willed it; let us learn to look to Him in time of need.

Signing off

Tyrone