I believe that our generation will be forced to make a decision to deny the Lord or face death. When my wife was pregnant with our 1st child (He is now 4 years old) I was journaling when I felt the Lord speak to me. The Lord said, that my child would be a martyr and that my child would be born at 7 lbs. 4 oz. So I journaled it three months before he was born.
I asked the doctor when the time came for my wife to give birth what he thought the weight would be. He said 8 pounds. He asked me and I told him, my son will be born at 7 lbs 4 oz.
Guess what? My son was born at 7lbs. 4 oz.
So I have wondered why the Lord would tell me this. I mean he could make my son be a martyr and never let me know. But because of the times we live in I believe that he told me this for many reasons. One is to prepare my heart for what is to come. 2. To prepare my son for his calling.
And as I have struggled with the idea that my son will most likely die as a martyr, I take joy in knowing that in order for him to die as a witness, he has to be saved. So this causes me to embrace an eternal perspective. My son is not saved yet, and I know that when the day comes it will come with mixed feelings for me. I will rejoice like I have never rejoiced in all of my life yet at the same time this will sober me up to the reality of what is yet to come.
I believe that suffering is the best place we as Christians could be because in that lonely and despairing place is where we realize what matters and what doesn’t matter. And I don’t say this ignorantly. My 2nd son Tobias (His name means God is Good) has almost died 3 different times. He was born as a micro preemie and was given a 2 1/2% change of surviving. Through all the suffering that my wife and I had to endure we learned that the Lord is faithful. Through the 5 different surgeries that my son Tobias had to endure (He is now 3 years old) we have learned that God is faithful.
I asked the Lord, what was the purpose of this trial with Tobias? And though he did not answer audibly, I felt the Lord say that he wanted to show me His faithfulness because when the time comes and my 4 year old becomes a martyr; I will need to look back and see the faithfulness of God.
Friends, the time is short, and it is high time to awaken from our sleep and to even become a little radical for the Lord. Because whether we want to believe this or not, either we will or our children will have to face persecution in such a way that we will have to make a decision for Christ. And that decision will be a life or death decision.
We are going to suffer, that is inevitable (and this coming from a pre-tribber…lol). My prayer is that when these things happen that we would not throw out everything that we know to be true about the Lord out the window, but that we would fall onto his faithfulness and look back at his track record in our personal lives. Things are accelerating its time to refocus, and regroup and pursue the One who has pursued us with all of our hearts. May the Lord return quickly.....so be it!
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Until the nets are full,
Bill
