Stay at Home and Seek the Lord

At this unprecedented time, the whole world is staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, which I have written about in my article Coronavirus Origin, Reason, and Remedy. This has caused a major economic crash globally, which I have also written about in Economic Turmoil Worldwide. This is a time of great shaking in the world. We all need some encouragement and direction regarding what to do at this time, so let me share with you some Scriptures that will provide that for you.

When God Shakes the Land
First of all, the Psalms are full of encouragement about hard times, and one of them says:

"You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; you have been angry—now restore us! You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking. You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered." (Psa 60:1-5)

When God shakes the land, so that it is quaking, and shows the people desperate times, giving them wine that makes them stagger, there is hope for the saints of God who fear Him. He has raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. We should cry out to Him to save us and help us, so that those He loves may be delivered.

Enter Your Rooms, Shut the Doors and Hide Yourselves 
Then there is a passage in Isaiah that seems to fit perfectly this moment that we're all in together. It says:

"Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer." (Isa 26:20-21).

That's great biblical advice for what to do during this quarantine period. We who are the people of God should enter our rooms and shut the doors behind us; we should hide ourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. The ungodly scoff at the notion of God's wrath or a plague like this being God's wrath, but this is what the Bible teaches us. For more on this see End Time Plagues.

What is the Lord doing at this time? See, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The shaking is necessary to dislodge sin and idolatry. There has been much innocent bloodshed, and the earth will now reveal the blood shed on it; the earth will no longer conceal her slain.

The coronavirus pandemic (with it's accompanying economic collapse) is just one of many things that are going to happen to shake the earth. As of the time of this writing, the pandemic has infected more than 3.6 million and killed 251,838 people worldwide (latest count here). And there are going to be many more slain. The Case Fatality Rate in the UK is currently 98.1%! Worldwide it is 25.7%. Italy has experienced over 17,000 deaths already, and the US has experienced almost 14,000, but there could be multiplied millions more deaths before this is over. After the first spike that we're in now, there will likely be subsequent spikes later, such as in the fall and in 2021. Therefore, we should take this seriously.

The good news is that this period of staying in our homes won't last forever. We will eventually be allowed back out. The passage in Isaiah above says that it is "for a little while".

Come, You Who Have No Money
As I said, the economic impact from this crisis has been severe. People are out of work, going hungry, they have no money, the supply chain is experiencing major disruptions, there are food and supply shortages (which is essentially a famine), and people are becoming desperate. What should we do? The Lord says:

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David." (Isa 55:1-3)

What a perfect verse for us at this time for those who have no money. If you have no money right now, you should be very encouraged by this, because the Lord is calling those who have no money to come to Him and buy from Him without money and without cost.  He promises that we will delight in the richest of fare. It reminds me of what Jesus said to His disciples when He told them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." (Joh 4:32). He went on to say, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." (Joh 4:34)

The Lord wants to make an everlasting covenant with those who take Him up on this invitation and come to Him.

Seek the Lord While He May Be Found
This crisis is a perfect time to seek the Lord. You no longer have the excuse that you have to work and you are too busy. You are at home now and there is plenty of time to seek the Lord. The non-essential places are closed where people normally go for entertainment and fun, so there are fewer distractions. Seek Him now at this time while He may still be found. There may come a time soon when it becomes so chaotic that you cannot seem to find Him in the midst of it (see here), but this is your opportunity to get alone with Him in your prayer closet. It's not time to be playing games and filling up your time with useless distractions.

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isa 55:6-7)

It's time for everyone -- those who know the Lord and those who don't know Him -- to stop doing the things of the world, repent, pray, and seek the Lord. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved. God loves you and is calling you to Himself right now. Don't miss this opportunity! He will have mercy on you and freely pardon your sin.

Protection During Passover

In one sense, this plague resembles the deadly plague that God brought upon Egypt, in which He sent the death angel to kill the firstborn male child of each household. But the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood upon their homes, specifically upon the doors and doorposts. They were to stay inside their homes that were covered by the blood of the lamb, and when the death angel would come, it would see the blood there upon it, and it would pass over that home, sparing the life of the firstborn male child in it.

Likewise, as we stay in our homes during this time of the Passover feast (April 8-16th), we should cry out to the Lord for the blood of Jesus to be upon our homes, upon the doors and doorposts, and upon each person within our homes. Name each one inside your home. If they have repented of their sins and invited Jesus to come and live inside their hearts, then His blood is upon them. You can ask the Lord for the covering and protection of His blood, and He will protect you. 

The Passover Lamb was a type of Jesus Christ, who is the true Lamb of God, and His blood saves us from death and hell. For more on this, please see my article, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ.

Claim the Promises of Psalm 91
You should also pray a personalized version of Psalm 91 each day over yourself. Make it personal. For example, pray, "I dwell in the secret place of the Most High. I abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Surely He will save me from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I will find refuge; his faithfulness will be my shield and rampart. I will not fear the terror of night,  nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me. I will only observe with my eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. I make the Most High my dwelling --- even the Lord, who is my refuge -- so no harm will befall me, no disaster will come near my tent. The Lord will command His angels concerning me to guard me in all my ways. He will protect me, for I acknowledge His name. With long life He will satisfy me and show me His salvation."

It's important to note that these promises are only for those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Ps 91:1). There is an amazing aspect of God's Kingdom called "abiding in Christ", which we see illustrated in various ways in Scripture, including the way that Noah and his family went into the ark and stayed there until the wrath of God had passed. For more on this, including other examples from Scripture, see my article, Abiding in Christ Illustrated.

Closing Words
I hope this has been an encouragement to you, during this time of unprecedented shaking, to go into your rooms, shut the door, hide yourself for a little while, and seek the Lord while He may be found. Buy from Him without money and without cost. Call on Him while He is near. Ask for the precious blood of Jesus to be upon you, your loved ones, and the house you dwell in.

Get yourself ready for the rapture. Be like the five wise virgins that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 25, who go and buy oil to fill up their extra flasks with it in preparation for the bridegroom's coming. Get filled with the Holy Spirit. Make your preparations now, before the next major cataclysm happens and before the Lord comes with the clouds of glory. He is coming very, very soon!

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Photo courtesy Pixabay.

Author's note: You may also want to read my other related posts:

Economic Turmoil Worldwide	Coronavirus: Origin, Reason, and Remedy	Are You Rapture Ready?
If My People Who Are Called by My Name	This Crisis Pales Compared to What's Coming	The Seven Seals Being Opened in Real Time
Seeking the Lord	The End Has Come	Abiding in Christ Illustrated
The 311 Moment	Sequence of Signs Preceding the Coming of Christ	Synching Up the Seven Seals with the Gospels

You may also visit our Home page for this blog, or access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?

The prosperity gospel is very popular today in America.  Everyone wants to be rich.  I am not advocating poverty or saying all Christians should take a vow of poverty.  But the test of prosperity is even harder than the test of poverty.

The prosperity preachers say that wealth is evidence of godliness.  Yet Jesus taught that we cannot serve God and wealth.  "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mat 6:24)

And Jesus [also] said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  (Mat 19:23-24)

The eye of a needle was the gate into a city.  When camels returned from abroad, loaded with merchandise, they had to get down on their knees outside the city gate, so that all the merchandise could be unloaded from their backs, so they could enter through the narrow gate. 

Jesus said we must "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." (Mat 7:13)

"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." (Luk 14:33)

The apostle Paul said, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1Ti 6:10; cf., 1Ti. 3:3; Heb. 13:5).

The prosperity preachers are living in luxury, in multimillion dollar homes, often flying in their own private jets.  I know of one Christian couple that run a non-profit Christian ministry, and own his-and-her mansions one street apart in a gated community.  I know of another preacher who built a three million dollar home for himself, paid for by the church he pastors.  Don't they read these same Scriptures?  What men value highly is detestable in God's sight (see Luke 16:15).  If you want to know where their heart is, then just look at where their treasure is.  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mat 6:21)

The psalmist said of the wicked, "Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth." (Ps 73: 9).  And at one point he envied the prosperity of the wicked.  But after the Lord revealed to him their final destiny, he said of himself, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." (Ps 73:25).  Let me encouraged you to read the entire Psalm 73.

The apostle John put it like this: "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1Jn 2:15)

The apostle Paul described himself and his ministry team as "poor, yet making many rich" (2 Co 6:10), just as our Lord Jesus Christ, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake He became poor" (2 Co 8:9b).

Paul said, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed." (1Ti 6:17-19)

James said, "Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?" (Jas 2:5-6)

He said God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith.  And it is true that the poor are still more open to the gospel than the rich.  Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.” (Luk 4:18) James said that it is the rich who oppress you and drag you into court.

James also said, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ...You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." (Jas 5:1-3, 5)

I feel sorry for those Christians who live like this, especially the preachers, because they are storing up treasure on earth, which our Lord warned against.  And they seem to avoid the teachings in Scripture about The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer.

The spirit of the wealth lovers
I would like to show you from Scripture how the love of money causes people to harden their hearts to the gospel.

Luke 16:13-14 - The Pharisees were lovers of money, so they scoffed at Jesus teachings on wealth.  Out of envy they falsely accused Him and had Him crucified.

Acts 16:16-24 - The masters of the fortune-telling slave girl saw that their hope of making a profit was gone, due to Paul's actions, and they proceeded to have the apostles beaten and imprisoned.

Acts 19:23-34 - The silversmith Demetrius and workmen of similar trades felt that their prosperity from their business of making silver shrines of Diana was endangered by Paul's preaching against false gods.  So they reacted angrily and started a riot to oppose the apostles.

John 2:14-21 - The money changers were angry because Jesus took away their ability to earn money selling sacrifices in the temple, so they retorted to Him, asking who gave Him the right to do that to them.

Mt 8:28-34 - The herdsmen and all the people of their town, who heard about Jesus sending the legion of demons into their pigs, implored Jesus to leave their region.  They did so, probably because of the negative impact it had on their pig business, and the financial loss they took, when all the pigs drowned in the sea.

Luke 16:19-31 -  The rich man who lived in luxury every day did not care for Lazarus, the beggar at his gate, who lived in poverty and misery.  He hardened his heart to the needs of Lazarus, and only took care of himself.  The same way that he hardened his heart to the poor, he also hardened it to the Scriptures.  Just as he would not listen to the cry of the poor, he would not listen to the Law and the Prophets, so he ended up in hell.

1 King 21:1-16 - Jezebel used spirituality (a fast) as a ruse to have Naboth falsely accused of evil, in order to get him executed, so that her husband could take his inheritance (assets), because Naboth would not give or sell his inheritance to her evil husband Ahab the king.

The same way these people hardened their hearts because of wealth, people today reject the gospel for it.  They may not even think they are rejecting the gospel.  Perhaps they think they already believe the gospel.  But if someone preaches the truth of God's Word to them, such as the verses I shared at the opening of this post, they may disregard it.  And if someone speaks to them about God's standard of righteousness and holiness, they might actually become angry with that person.  If a Christian becomes angry with another believer for proclaiming in Jesus name that we must live holy lives and seek God's righteousness, this reveals their spirit.

I  believe God blesses His children and prospers us.  I don't believe He wants us to live in lack of anything.  In fact, in Christ, we possess all things.  But in my opinion, the so-called "prosperity gospel" that is being preached today is not the true gospel.  It causes people to wander from the truth.  And in the end they pierce themselves with many griefs.

The Secret of Contentment
We must be content, as Paul was, whether living in plenty or in want.  He said, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Phil 4:12).  He not only knew what it was to have plenty, he knew what it was to be in need.  They key was that he had learned the secret of contentment in any and every situation.  He said that godliness is great gain, when it is accompanied with contentment (see 1 Tim 6:6).

The Pattern
The prosperity preachers are preaching a type of self-ism, the fastest growing religion, which they have disguised to look as if it is Christian.  Their teachings make it seem as if God existed for us and not the other way around. They talk as if God is our trained seal who has to jump through our hoops. They speak only of blessings and not about the need to suffer.

Being Rich Yet Very Poor in God
Unfortunately the Church of the western world in these last days has become like the wealthy Laodicean church. Jesus said to the messenger of that church, "Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." (Rev 3:17-18)

The messenger of that church said, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing." But the Lord said, "you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." They were not cold toward God!  They considered themselves disciples.  But they were not hot either.  The Lord said they were lukewarm. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. o because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." (Rev 3:15-16)

They thought they were wealthy, but in God's sight they were not.  Rather, they were just the opposite.

Howard Pittman's Testimony
On August 3, 1979, Howard Pittman, a Baptist minister for 35 years, died while on the operating table during surgery.  He appeared at the gates of heaven, and believed that he had served God faithfully for many years.

Howard said, "God proceeded to tell me just what kind of life I had really lived. He told me what He really thought of me and even others who did as I had. He pointed out that my faith was DEAD, that my works were NOT ACCEPTABLE, and that I had labored in VAIN. He told me that it was an abomination for me to live such a life and then dare call it a life of worship. Furthermore, He said to those who do it, they are in danger of experiencing His everlasting wrath."

He continued, "I could not believe He was talking to me in this manner! I had served Him for years! I thought I had lived a life pleasing to Him! As He was enumerating my wrongs, I was sure He had me confused with someone else. There was no strength left in me to even move, let alone protest, yet I was panicking within myself. No way He could be talking about me! All of these years I thought I was doing those works for God! Now He was telling me that what I did, I did for myself."

"God told me that He would not accept this kind of worship in the day of the Pharisees and He certainly was not about to accept it now in this the Laodicean Church Age. He put it to me as plain as words and actions could make it."  

In the end, Howard was given another chance to live for the Lord. He went all over the world, testifying about this experience. He said, "For those who call themselves Christians, this is the Laodicean Church Age in which we live. A high majority of so-called Christians are, in fact, living a deceived life. They talk Jesus and play church, but do not live it. They claim to be Christians and then live like the devil. They have bought the great lie from Satan who tells them that they are alright. He tells them that it is alright to go to church on Sunday and attend mid-week services but as far as the rest of the time is concerned, they are to get all they can out of life. As far as their Christian life is concerned, they believe they are comfortable and have need of nothing and as a result, they are only lukewarm Christians if Christians at all."

I encourage you to listen to his entire testimony on the video below or read Howard Pittman's testimony here.



All Prosperity Preachers Are Headed for Hell
Lastly, I would like to share with you a prophetic revelation about prosperity given to my sister Rachael Mushala from the Lord Jesus Christ.  I have written about her in my article Rachael Mushala Testimony of Hell.  And on October 15, 2014, she wrote the following words on her blog in an article called Warnings From God To Preachers and Their Followers:

"The Lord was really angry about prosperity gospel preachers and He said, 'They have populated hell. All they talk about is prosperity, they don't warn my people about sin. What is money if you lose your own soul?'"

"Jesus was really sorrowful and He said, 'ALL PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHERS ARE HEADED FOR HELL, because they have misled my people. My people now think Christianity is all about blessings and they do not tell them about repentance. My churches are full of sin and all they tell them is prosperity. They are all headed for hell unless they repent.'"

I recommend reading her entire article for the full context, as the Lord singled out specific prosperity preachers for her to expose, namely Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and T.B. Joshua.

Likewise, as I wrote in my article Ibrahim's Experience in Hell, brother Ibrahim saw the present condition of lost ministers who are going down to destruction.  I recommend reading that article about his experience, but many of the lost ministers he saw were prosperity preachers, including Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and T.B. Joshua, as well as Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Rod Parsley, Myles Munroe, Mike Murdock, Paula White, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, Duncan Williams, and many others!

Putting it All Together 
As we have just seen in God's Word, you cannot serve God and wealth. We are commanded not to love this world or the things of this world. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. Therefore, to be a disciple of Jesus, a man must first give up all his own possessions.  You need to learn the secret of contentment in any and every situation.

Jesus and Paul both became poor, and were not like the prosperity preachers of today.  God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Sadly, miseries are going to come upon the rich in these last days.

Beware of "people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (1 Timothy 6:5).  If you are caught up in the teachings of the "prosperity gospel," please consider what you have just read in God's Word today, and amend your ways.

Take care, brethren, that you are not like the Laodicean church.  And if you are, then buy from the Lord gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.  The Lord said, 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev 3:19)

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:13)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading my articles Ibrahim's Experience in Hell, All Things Handed Over to Jesus Christ, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, Holy Fire Baptism,  Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, and Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations. I also recommend Kenneth Hagin’s Forgotten Warning by J. Lee Grady.  You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.