A Firm Foundation

Well, well, well.  We have made it to 2024.  I have definitely have not posted anything on my blog since 2022, but I am back and we’re moving forward.  Shockingly, my hope for the future has not changed.  God is still on the throne.  We still have authority in Jesus Christ.  Our predicament has not changed.  I think it is quite easy to be unsettled and feel that the world is ending, especially if you are constantly on social media listening to various personalities on either side of the political spectrum.  I believe that everyone has this sense that 2024 is going to be a wild ride, but I truly believe that we, as Christians, have a choice as to whether or not we get on that ride.  “What in the world do you mean by that Ana?”  Well, let’s take a quick look at Psalms 91:1-8:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.  A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come night thee.  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.”

This scripture shows a promise of divine protection from the Almighty, Himself.  If you allow God to be your refuge and fortress, He will deliver you from all harm.  If you engross yourself in His truth (not yours) it will be your shield and buckler.  You do not have to be afraid of what is coming to the wicked because the fallout of their actions will not even come near you.  Whether you believe it and accept this for your life is your choice.  Now let me tell you, this is not by any means an easy thing to believe.  Many of you could come to me right now and tell me all your woes and the extent of your struggles financially, physically, mentally and spiritually.  A lot of this can be traced back to decisions made by wicked people.  But the challenge for you and me is to pronounce victory in the midst of darkness and have faith in the midst of trials.  Grab hold of His promise and speak it over your life.  And I really do mean speak it audibly over your life.  This is a time of great spiritual warfare where the devil has been relentlessly attacking God’s people, but now is the time to rise up and declare that he will not steal your victory, nor will he make you afraid.  You have a promise from the Lord God, Himself.  Take hold of it and do not let it go.

What’s the point of telling you all of this.  Well, I want to talk to you about how you can lean into the promises of God and not be swayed by whatever happens in 2024.  Something I have been stewing on for awhile now, as blatant evil has been running rampant literally everywhere, is how have we come to this point?  Right?  It doesn’t take long to find influencers in the entertainment industry who are just outright promoting the devil and performing Satanic rituals on stage.  It doesn’t take long to find political figures who are advocating for abortion, even up to birth, and advocate for exposing kids, including kindergarten ages, to hardcore pornography in schools.  It doesn’t take long to find people, including college students, protesting in the streets in support of Hamas, the group that brutally raped and murdered men, women and children alike; going door-to-door killing children in front parents and parents in front of children on October 7, 2023.  Many people are afraid and horrified, not understanding how things could be this evil, but don’t know what to do.  Even worse, many Christians are declaring this is the end, the rapture is near, and are sitting on their hands waiting for God to show up.  We are in the midst of great warfare, the world is in peril, and self-proclaimed Christians are being tossed about like Jesus never died on the cross and restored their authority on earth.  Luke 10:19 says:

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

I think it all comes down to this: a firm foundation.  Why is the world not just inching, but running toward evil?  Well, the Bible says this in Matthew 7:24-27:

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

There has to be a standard of morality and righteousness set and upheld in the earth.  There has to be a line in the sand that cannot be crossed.  The world would have you to believe that many issues on this earth are grey when they are, indeed, black and white.  If you do not have a firm foundation to stand on, a standard and set of guidelines with which you live your life, you will be swayed by anything and everything.  One day you will be so far into the darkness, that you will not even be able to comprehend light.  Let me ask you this: Is murdering someone wrong?  Many of you would say, “Yes, of course it is!”  Then I would ask, “Why?”  Some would say, “Because it just is.  Almost everyone knows it’s evil to murder.”  But do they?  Why then are there people all over the world right now promoting the extermination of the Jewish people?  Why then were there so many women taking to the streets when Roe vs. Wade was overturned in the Supreme Court?  What is the moral standard that tells people that murder is wrong?  It certainly isn’t inherent, otherwise, we would not be seeing the extent of evil and horror that we are today.  Right now, there are more slaves then there have ever been in human history, many of which are sex slaves.  In fact, at the United States southern border we have the one of the largest human trafficking operations happening right now, all of which is being facilitated by the current administration.  What is the moral standard that tells you that every person is created equal?  Because let me tell you, if slavery and trafficking is supposed to be inherently wrong to the human race, there are a lot of people who are not getting the memo. 

There is a reason why the Bible says in Proverbs 14:12:

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

How many times in the last 5 years have you heard people say that they are following “their truth” and you can see their lives just falling apart.  They are in therapy, they are taking medication for anxiety, they are identifying as something new, etc., and yet, they just seem endlessly miserable.  One day they are happy because they are taking their lives in a new direction and within a couple days they are frustrated and depressed. 

My point is this: our standard of morality and righteousness, our firm foundation, must be God’s Word.  We are watching the result of a world that has tried to build their foundation on their own logic and understanding and it turns out that it is a house built on sand.  It is falling and crumbling before our very eyes.  We as Christians, especially in 2024, must make sure that our houses are built on a solid rock. How do we do that?  Well, if we take another look at Matthew 7:24, Jesus say, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, AND doeth them…”  Not only must we KNOW what the Word of God says, but we must ACT on it.  We can proclaim Christianity all we want, but it means poo-diddly if we do not even know what our faith is founded in.  Just knowing that Jesus Christ died for our sins, listening to Christian music and going to church every Sunday is not enough.  Now we must really seek the Lord and understand what we are proclaiming.  Ephesians 4:14 says:

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive…”

If we do not know who we serve, if we do not have a firm a foundation in the Word of God, we will be tossed about and deceived with the masses.  In 2024, let the Word be a “lamp unto your feet and light unto your path” (Psalms 119:105).  Those that do not have Christ will be deceived and they will not understand what is happening.  Those that claim to have Christ, but do not seek Him, will be deceived and will not understand what is happening.  They will not discern the times and will not grab hold of the promises of God. 

I think Ephesians 4:17-24 sums up this post very nicely.  It says:

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

I believe 2024 is going to bring about things the likes of which no one has ever seen.  In fact, as we head into the heart of April, we are seeing crazy things happening already.  I think we all have a sense there is something bubbling beneath the surface just waiting to unearth itself in a climactic way.  The question is: Are you ready?  Those of us who are rooting ourselves in Christ and seeking Him fiercely will have a victorious and triumphant 2024.  Be vigilant and be mindful of who and what you are aligning yourself with this year.  My prayer is that you all find yourselves abiding under the shadow of the Almighty and stand strong in this hour.  Do not grow faint or be weary, but shake off 2023 and equip yourselves for battle.  I don’t know about you, but I am kicking butt and taking names in 2024.  The devil is not stealing this victory from me!