It's the simplicity

 

I read about Christians who don't believe in the pre-trib rapture who accuse those of us who do as being spineless, and wanting a way of escape from the tribulation... 

I asked myself, why would you want to stay? God in His Word has warned us what the tribulation is gonna be like and how He would hide us from that trial for the unbelieving world... 

Is it not from fear that I believe... I believe in the just, loving and protective nature of God. His past present and future acts of divine protection are what I see and believe Him to be. He never ever has punished the righteous with the unrighteous and I can't see Him doing it now

Further, did not the Israelites daub their doors with the blood of a lamb so that the Angel of Death would passover their dwelling? Because they knew enough about God's protection to do that... and that they did not want to die or be punished by not doing it. Not exactly fear but fear of God and obedience. So also with that knowledge comes the desire to be on God's side and protected by Him. 

I think the post trib people are of the kind to want to prove a point- if not to God, but to themselves, that they must suffer for their faith when Christ has said there is no need to. surely then pride comes into view... a puffed up sense of spiritual superiority... portraying us who long for His catching us up to Himself,  a second rate class of Christian... 

I think it is human nature to want to save one's own skin... and why would anyone willingly want to stay to drink of a cup that we don't have to drink? We know God's wrath is not for us. But yes, even so- it is not a sin to want to flee the horrors Jesus warned us about.. 

To me, the post tribbers seem to be taking the simplicity of accepting Christ's offer to keep us from the hour of trial and turning it into a works oriented faith.

Christ tells us to be watching and ready for the rapture. Simply being alert and longing for the Blessed Hope... an act of faith and a gift of grace. 

The post tribbers must rely on their works and struggle to keep alive until the Second Coming... enduring unspeakable horrors that clearly are not what they were saved to endure.

We have a very loving Father Who has His children's best interests at heart. He's already sent His Son to die for us. His Son has now returned to the Father. He now prepares a place for us.

All He asks is that we stay faithful to Him and look with longing for His return for His Bride...

Maybe that is what is a stumbling block to the prideful post tribbers. The love. The simplicity.

 © Glenys Robyn Hicks

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth- Revelation 3:10

We all live in glass houses

It never ceases to amaze me that most people, (myself included in the past), have judged others yet haven't given much thought of the actions and sin in their own life.

I well remember a neighbour friend of mine who was sharing a cuppa with another friend and myself. We shared that we were both pregnant at the time we were married, and she sniffed and declared that she was a virgin at the altar. We felt resentment because this woman had an affair at work and nearly put the end to her marriage. We rightly felt who was she to judge us?

If we say we haven't sinned, then God says we are a liar. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That's why we need a Saviour and that's why we need to extend grace to all.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:16

Pre-marital sex or extra marital sex is sin: just as is gossip, pride and unforgiveness. Sin of all kinds sent Jesus to the cross. Jesus took our sin upon himself. And not one of us is sinless, save Jesus. "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10

Jesus Christ is our Advocate and Judge. We have no right judging another. Our job is to pray for them.My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

As long as we live, we will sin. Not willingly, but we will all fall at one time or another. So it would behoove us to refrain from throwing stones at each other when we all live a glass house.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

Bother to lift us up and not tear us down

It amazes me how many people are uninformed about something yet feel compelled to give an opinion or advice about it.

When I got fibromyalgia everyone told me it was in my head. I pushed myself physically to get through it but the emotional toll was so bad. Guilt. Failure. Self loathing. Exacerbation of it all. In the end it was all for nothing: fibromyalgia is real.

How one talks to a chronically ill person is important as often they can take those words and apply it to themself, even if that person really doesn't understand about their illness.

Quite often speaking erroneously and negatively can damage a person so much that they actually feel worse. Those words have the propensity to cause so much emotionally destructive thoughts that cripple a person worse than the disease or ailment they suffer does.

Unsolicited advice such as starting exercising, dieting, positive thinking, all sound great for most maladies, but alas, not so great for chronic illness such as heart failure, osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, lupus and fibromyalgia.

Taking this on board for the person already grieving for their lost health can lead a person straight to the Pit of Despair. And it achieves nothing.

A little kindness would go a long way to helping the chronically ill retain self respect and accept their illness quicker. But most times those who give advice are anything but kind, sounding judgmental and arrogant. Which just expounds on how truly unhelpful they really are- or try to be.

Being kind and gentle to those suffering is Christ's way- so if you think you have enough knowledge and love to impart some wisdom and instruction to a chronically ill person- do so gently and kindly.

God Himself knows we have enough to contend with already as we walk the sad and lonely path of illness. We need less words and more acts that impart sympathy and compassion.

Pray for us and comfort us and be one of the few who bother to lift us up and not tear us down.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks 

And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

So let's not argue

I was having a heart to heart with a friend and as old friends do, confidences were shared. Talking over milestone events in our lives, I shared that I was pregnant to my fiance at 16.

My friend sniffed, and announced that she was a virgin at marriage. She was looking down her nose at me. And it duly got up it. Why? you may ask...

This same friend who was judging me for my premarital sexual relationship later on committed adultery against her husband who rightly avoided sleeping with her prior to their marriage. The stink of her  hypocrisy rose in my nostrils and in my gall.

Likewise, my paternal grandmother who was pregnant at her marriage refused to come to mine because I was in the same delicate condition. Her hypocrisy also made me angry as well as sad.

We are so quick to judge and call each other out, when in fact we are guilty of transgressing God's law because we are all sinners. Christ was the only Man to walk the earth and not sin.

Premarital sex and adultery are both sin and each in its' own right was the reason why we needed a Saviour to bear that sin in our place. Each sin- every sin- necessitated Christ's sacrifice to redeem us.

Before we assume that we are more virtuous than another, we would do well to remember that our own sin led Christ to Calvary just as the sin of another did. There's none of us guiltless and sinless.

As we ponder or dismay at the sins of mankind, we would do well to remember that but by the grace of God, go I. Sin is sin. It all had to be cleansed by the precious Blood of Christ. 

My sin- your sin is ugly. We all need to repent and accept God's grace and forgiveness and not judge. We have been redeemed, cleansed and set apart from whatever sin we committed. So let's not argue.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:7

I am not "normal"

We chronically ill women try so hard to do "normal" things. Like look well. Be cheerful. Be patient. Kind. Hospitable.

Our family and marriage are our first priority after God. We try so hard to spin our wheel not fast- but at a "normal" pace. By "normal", we compare ourselves to those who do not suffer from chronic illness and pain. Or are disabled.

We are very careful to keep serving our family but sometimes with the illness that afflicts us: we fail. This often gets to us and causes us to sink into depression.

Being unable to process that we simply can't act as "normals", we often berate ourselves and sink into the Pit of Despair. 

We are often judged by "normal" standards, as we simply cannot attend certain social functions like before. If we do, the pain and effort can make us tense and we can make us appear moody unsociable grumps aka the death head at the feast. 

If only "normals" would realise that we are pushing ourselves every day to live a life that not even closely is "normal" like in the days before our health failed. We get so adept at doing this, that we have become quite good at wearing masks to cover the Mask Of Pain. Hence the appearance of being in a mood. 

My fibromyalgia and other health issues have now made it impossible for me to disguise, and I have learned to acknowledge this to people and tell them in advance that my attendance or action or whatever is totally subject to how I am on any given day.

Basically, I have had to pander to angina, spinal problems, fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, and submit to tyrannical spoons by being totally flexible about my appointments and so on.

People may still misjudge me but that is not my problem. I just pray that the LORD will allow them to see that I am not lazy or unsociable, but am just a chronically ill woman who finds just breathing some days enough effort.

The LORD knows I am not well, but people take a lot more convincing. I am not "normal".

 © Glenys Robyn Hicks    

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;  Colossians 3:12

Nothing can separate us from God's love

There are a lot of faithful Christians who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety.  Although they are usually strong in the faith, when a panic attack hits, and they have a meltdown, their trial turns into a field day for false accusers and Job's Comforters. 

They are often told that they are lacking in faith and to cling to the LORD, when it is chemicals in their body that is causing the problem, not lack of faith.  They do nothing to help but add fuel to the fire. Telling a sufferer of a panic attack to have more faith is like telling a drowning man to swim faster. They simply can't and they struggle just to keep their head above water. To add to their woe, they then fear that they have become apostate or are backsliding.  But nothing could be further from the truth.

The truly backslidden or apostate Christian will not turn to God for help therefore she has no worries of feeling unloved by God but the faithful Child of God will be afraid when she cannot break through the clutch of adrenaline that induces a feeling of impending doom (in this case, damnation) Such feelings are false, and during her life when not suffering an adrenaline rush, she knows this and relies on her Saviour. 

The Bible teaches us not to be anxious, but any anxious person will tell you that it is a fact that anxiety will come for no apparent reason. My point is that Satan will use this hormone induced attack on our bodies to make us feel guilty, alienate us from feeling close to God, and cause us to be more anxious. We know it is written we shouldn't be anxious- but here we are with anxiety and guilt as our companion. 

We know we should trust God but often it's not so clear cut and defined. It does us no good to be told we are sinning when it is clearly a chemistry problem which manifests itself as anxiety. In our stronger moments, we are aware of the scriptures. One who suffers from anxiety does not need to be told they are willfully sinning. We need people's understanding and compassion. It goes without saying, that we always have that from Jesus. 

We tend to forget that most often sufferers of anxiety and panic have often been in the midst of the most horrendous of stresses and trials, often for years, and despite being faithful and clinging to God, they have a meltdown. Trials include all chronic illness such as fibromyalgia and disabilities. 

It would behove us all to remember to be Christ-like to these suffering Children of God and comfort them, pray for them and encourage them. Those of us who suffer like this are prime candidates for panic attacks and meltdowns.  We should do unto others as we would have them do unto us:  pray for them,  help them back on their feet and never judge them. Anxiety and panic are no respecter of people: but by the Grace of God, go I. 

Mercy.  Grace.  Compassion.  Love.  Prayer.  All are healing balms for the poor one having a meltdown. We need to tell them there is hope and there is healing and that nothing can separate us from God's love.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

For I am persuaded,  that neither death,  nor life,  nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things  to  come,  nor height,  nor depth,  nor any other creature,  shall be  able to separate us from the love of God which in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

The stuff dreams are made of

With all that's happening at the moment with the Covid, the events worldwide sometimes make me think I am dreaming and will soon wake up.

But of course I don't wake up because it's real and the world is still coping with stopping Rona spreading further. The dream is more like a nightmare.

I am finding the state of lockdown, infection control and data regarding new cases and deaths, surreal. It's like something one would expect at the end of the world. Pandemic. Fear. Death. Confusion.

With a start, I realise that this may not be the end of the world, but it is prophetic. Pandemics and wars, people growing cold and heartless and thinking just of themselves are indeed prophesised as the beginning of the birth pains. 

Birth pains that will grip humanity and shake the world before the coming of the LORD and His Saints for the judgment of unrepentant sinners.

All scripture points towards Jesus receiving His Bride- the Church of believers soon. It's the blessed hope we are told to await eagerly. 

Now is the time to be awake- the Rapture is by all accounts, imminent. Jesus is coming for us soon.

And as we look around and see the beginning of the birth pains, we can see that staying here is not so attractive: that would be a nightmare for real.

But looking up and waiting for Jesus to come for us is the end of that awful dream for us as believers: we are not appointed for the wrath of God.

A heavenly mansion awaits us with eternity spent with our LORD.  His Word is our promise. The believer's future is bright and full of hope and is the stuff dreams are made of.  

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1-2

Give us the comfort of Jesus~

I recently saw a post from a Christian woman who blogs about marriage and who believes she is an authority on all things spiritual. Along with this narcissim, she has a very prideful and uncompassionate and judgemental attitude. Plus she will never concede that perhaps, just perhaps, she is wrong.

She was exhorting us to not allow any sin into our lives: gluttony was high up on her list. And whilst gluttony is a sin- (anything taken into excess especially that which is harmful- is a sin)- she proceeded to broadcast her lack of knowledge in weight and health matters, and made the blanket statement that overweight is always due to gluttony and that is therefore sin.

So many chronically ill people commented and her attitude was one of "pipe down you glutton and confess your sin!" Many overweight people- Christians- were upset by her and I join them. I wrote a reply as this woman needs to be made aware that her judgements are not only spiritually wrong but also medically incorrect....

OK. So I am obese. After 3 heart stents, an underactive thyroid that took years to diagnose, fibromyalgia, Scheurrmanns Disease, spinal stenosis, hole in the heart and a torn meniscus in the left knee plus years of Prednisolone due to polymyalgia rheumatica, I don't move around much.

Every single one of the 30 pills I must take daily add to my chronic fatigue and lack of alertness. I eat healthy food and keep to 1200 cals a day. Due to meds, I must eat with them and I cannot fast- but I have tried. To make a simple equation in physics help me lose weight, I would be able to consume a plate of lettuce once a day. Which is unreasonable and unsustainable.

I am very close to God and am under absolutely no conviction that I am either a glutton or a consistent sinner. I am however, absolutely constantly reassured of a God Who loves me as a Father loves His child and I confess I cling to Him in my daily living with chronic illness and consequent obesity.

To have prideful and uncompassionate people act like Jobs' Comforters is no help at all and very unChristlike. Where is grace? Why the judgements? Thank God we have one Judge and Advocate: I thank God it's Jesus.

It is a shame that this woman is so unsympathetic and strident: she speaks a lot of truth regarding marriage, but again with the caustic remarks and prideful attitude one sees in her adored author Debi Pearl, as seen in her horrible book Created to Be A Help Meet.

A Christian teacher should be gentle, not prideful, harsh and downright cruel. There are so many of us who are overweight and who fight it daily. We do not need to be told that we are sinning because of our weight. It is a sad state of affairs when we have the added pain of condemnation from an unlearned individual to contend with as well.

Let us be slow to speak and then to do so in love, just as our Saviour taught us. We need His comfort as we battle our weight and illnesses, not some self righteous cowgirl galloping in on her stallion. Job's comforters are not required- (not that she tries to comfort anyway) Give us the comfort of Jesus!

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Job 16:2

The stuff dreams are made of

With all that's happening at the moment with the Corona Virus, the events worldwide sometimes make me think I am dreaming and will soon wake up.

But of course I don't wake up because it's real and the world is still coping with stopping Rona spreading further. The dream is more like a nightmare.

I am finding the state of lockdown, infection control and data regarding new cases and deaths, surreal. It's like something one would expect at the end of the world. Pandemic. Fear. Death. Confusion.

With a start, I realise that this may not be the end of the world, but it is prophetic. Pandemics and wars, people growing cold and heartless and thinking just of themselves are indeed prophesised as the beginning of the birth pains. 

Birth pains that will grip humanity and shake the world before the coming of the LORD and His Saints for the judgment of unrepentant sinners.

All scripture points towards Jesus receiving His Bride- the Church of believers soon. It's the blessed hope we are told to await eagerly. 

Now is the time to be awake- the Rapture is by all accounts, imminent. Jesus is coming for us soon.

And as we look around and see the beginning of the birth pains, we can see that staying here is not so attractive: that would be a nightmare for real.

But looking up and waiting for Jesus to come for us is the end of that awful dream for us as believers: we are not appointed for the wrath of God.

A heavenly mansion awaits us with eternity spent with our LORD.  His Word is our promise. The believer's future is bright and full of hope and is the stuff dreams are made of.  

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1-2

Let Jesus soothe your soul

There are a lot of faithful Christians who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety.  Although they are usually strong in the faith, when a panic attack hits, and they have a meltdown, their trial turns into a field day for false accusers and Job's Comforters. 

They are often told that they are lacking in faith and to cling to the LORD, when it is chemicals in their body that is causing the problem, not lack of faith.  They do nothing to help but add fuel to the fire. Telling a sufferer of a panic attack to have more faith is like telling a drowning man to swim faster. They simply can't and they struggle just to keep their head above water. To add to their woe, they then fear that they have become apostate or are backsliding.  But nothing could be further from the truth.

The truly backslidden or apostate Christian will not turn to God for help therefore she has no worries of feeling unloved by God but the faithful Child of God will be afraid when she cannot break through the clutch of adrenaline that induces a feeling of impending doom (in this case, damnation) Such feelings are false, and during her life when not suffering an adrenaline rush, she knows this and relies on her Saviour. 

The Bible teaches us not to be anxious, but any anxious person will tell you that it is a fact that anxiety will come for no apparent reason. My point is that Satan will use this hormone induced attack on our bodies to make us feel guilty, alienate us from feeling close to God, and cause us to be more anxious. We know it is written we shouldn't be anxious- but here we are with anxiety and guilt as our companion. 

We know we should trust God but often it's not so clear cut and defined. It does us no good to be told we are sinning when it is clearly a chemistry problem which manifests itself as anxiety. In our stronger moments, we are aware of the scriptures. One who suffers from anxiety does not need to be told they are willfully sinning. We need people's understanding and compassion. It goes without saying, that we always have that from Jesus. 

We tend to forget that most often sufferers of anxiety and panic have often been in the midst of the most horrendous of stresses and trials, often for years, and despite being faithful and clinging to God, they have a meltdown. Trials include all chronic illness such as fibromyalgia and disabilities. 

It would behove us all to remember to be Christ-like to these suffering Children of God and comfort them, pray for them and encourage them. Those of us who suffer like this are prime candidates for panic attacks and meltdowns.  We should do unto others as we would have them do unto us:  pray for them,  help them back on their feet and never judge them. Anxiety and panic are no respecter of people: but by the Grace of God, go I. 

Mercy.  Grace.  Compassion.  Love.  Prayer.  All are healing balms for the poor one having a meltdown. We need to tell them there is hope and there is healing and that nothing can separate us from God's love.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

For I am persuaded,  that neither death,  nor life,  nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things  to  come,  nor height,  nor depth,  nor any other creature,  shall be  able to separate us from the love of God which in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Humility and meekness becomes us!

Over the past forty years of  being a Christian, I have witnessed to people without saying a word. Everything has been done in His Name and I have been very open about being a Christian. But I never preached at them.

Many people in our neighbourhood have come to me when in trouble and I have prayed for them. I have been called upon to exorcise homes and bless homes. I have given handkerchiefs prayed over  by the pastor and anointed with oil to people facing risky surgeries, who were afraid and needed a touch from the LORD.  I helped  sick neighbours and visited hospitals in a Ministry group at church. 

People just seemed to call on me when they needed a pastor and were unchurched and unsaved.  And some asked me about becoming a Christian. Not all became one, but that was their choice. Some were saved.

The reason I am telling you this is that we can't segregate ourselves from the world. We must work amongst the unsaved without pride or judgments. It is not helpful to insist on the unsaved acting as saved before you minister to them. God loved us when we were still sinners. Besides, we were just like them once: in need of a Saviour. We are saved by Grace!

I have found that people who are unsaved but who call on believers in time of trouble are already tender to the things of God. There's nothing attractive to non believers who are searching, like a self-righteous, proud, overly pious Christian who looks down on them. People know instinctively when someone is doing that.

This serving of people who as yet do not know the LORD should be done in a seemingly ordinary but loving way so that people see Jesus in you. That is the aim of all Christians who are trying to be Christ-like. To draw attention to Him, not them.

When or if questions are asked about our faith, it is important that we share the love of Christ and what He has done for us and will do for them, in a simple way. Give them hope. Give them a reason to accept Jesus as LORD. But remember to include them in the hope you have, and be gentle but sincere.

As servants of the Most High, remember our example: Jesus. Putting on humility and meekness becomes us and glorifies Him. 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15

Job's comforters not required

I recently saw a post from a Christian woman who blogs about marriage and who believes she is an authority on all things spiritual. Along with this narcissim, she has a very prideful and uncompassionate and judgemental attitude. Plus she will never concede that perhaps, just perhaps, she is wrong.

She was exhorting us to not allow any sin into our lives: gluttony was high up on her list. And whilst gluttony is a sin- (anything taken into excess especially that which is harmful- is a sin)- she proceeded to broadcast her lack of knowledge in weight and health matters, and made the blanket statement that overweight is always due to gluttony and that is therefore sin.

So many chronically ill people commented and her attitude was one of "pipe down you glutton and confess your sin!" Many overweight people- Christians- were upset by her and I join them. I wrote a reply as this woman needs to be made aware that her judgements are not only spiritually wrong but also medically incorrect....

OK. So I am obese. After 3 heart stents, an underactive thyroid that took years to diagnose, fibromyalgia, Scheurrmanns Disease, spinal stenosis, hole in the heart and a torn meniscus in the left knee plus years of Prednisolone due to polymyalgia rheumatica, I don't move around much.

Every single one of the 30 pills I must take daily add to my chronic fatigue and lack of alertness. I eat healthy food and keep to 1200 cals a day. Due to meds, I must eat with them and I cannot fast- but I have tried. To make a simple equation in physics help me lose weight, I would be able to consume a plate of lettuce once a day. Which is unreasonable and unsustainable.

I am very close to God and am under absolutely no conviction that I am either a glutton or a consistent sinner. I am however, absolutely constantly reassured of a God Who loves me as a Father loves His child and I confess I cling to Him in my daily living with chronic illness and consequent obesity.

To have prideful and uncompassionate people act like Jobs' Comforters is no help at all and very unChristlike. Where is grace? Why the judgements? Thank God we have one Judge and Advocate: I thank God it's Jesus.

It is a shame that this woman is so unsympathetic and strident: she speaks a lot of truth regarding marriage, but again with the caustic remarks and prideful attitude one sees in her adored author Debi Pearl, as seen in her horrible book Created to Be A Help Meet.

A Christian teacher should be gentle, not prideful, harsh and downright cruel. There are so many of us who are overweight and who fight it daily. We do not need to be told that we are sinning because of our weight. It is a sad state of affairs when we have the added pain of condemnation from an unlearned individual to contend with as well.

Let us be slow to speak and then to do so in love, just as our Saviour taught us. We need His comfort as we battle our weight and illnesses, not some self righteous cowgirl galloping in on her stallion. Job's comforters are not required- (not that she tries to comfort anyway) Give us the comfort of Jesus.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Job 16:2