Stand In Faith

 So that you may be able to stand your ground against the evil one, and having completed your testimony, to stand.

Ephesians 6:13

Stand In Faith | My Story

In October 1973 I was a 22-year-old recently-divorced Vietnam veteran college freshman, living with my parents in Lakeland Florida. Then I discovered ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ and I committed myself to following Him. Thus began my lifelong pilgrimage to ‘stand in faith.’

I was a naïve new Christian in 1974 when I transferred from Florida Southern College to Southeastern Bible College in Lakeland, Florida. I hoped to become a minister in the Assembly of God denomination.

But my naivety didn’t last long. For many reasons I dropped out a year later. I’d seen “the ministry” from the inside and I wasn’t impressed.

Hirelings

I observed that whenever our mentoring pastors met, two items of data always got exchanged about last Sunday’s services. First, ‘how many people were in attendance?’ And second, ‘how much was in your offering?’  Like roosters, their answers always established their respective pecking order in the local ministerial hierarchy.

I also noticed most of the ministers liked to keep their preaching on “the happy path.” They avoided most of the Old Testament, the epistle of James, Revelation, and anything relating to Christian suffering. Why? Because straying off ‘the happy path’ would negatively affect their attendance and offerings.

In my opinion, ‘ministers’ with this mindset are hirelings. They’re serving themselves, not their people, or God. Jesus said,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me.

John 10:11-14

Stand In Faith | True Servants of God

In contrast to the hirelings, many mature spiritual teachers and leaders serve with no ulterior motive of personal gain. They share relevant and timely truths from God to guide us in our earthly pilgrimage.

Since 1974 I’ve personally met and learned from a few men and women who fit this description, such as Richard Wurmbrand, Andrew Wommack, Michael Heiser, A.W. Tozer, and John Taylor (faith missionary to Honduras.)

I’ve ‘known’ many more only through their writings, such as Watchman Nee, Hudson Taylor, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, George Mueller, Tim Warner, and Andrew Murray.

Stand In Faith | End Time Leadership in the Body of Christ

Everyone can see the dark storm clouds approaching in our future. But today’s ministers either promote escaping tribulation via ‘the rapture,’ or they avoid controversy by preaching only ‘happy path’ sermons. Neither approach is spiritually and physically preparing the saints for what’s coming.

I admit the Bible’s end-time message is hard to understand and digest. But it plainly teaches that end-time saints will suffer, including an innumerable multitude becoming martyrs.

After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands… “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:9,14

The Coming Great Apostasy

Just prior to the verses above, the Bible also teaches about “the apostasy” that will occur before the Day of the Lord.

No one should deceive you in any way, because it is not until the apostasy shall have come first, and the man of lawlessness shall have been revealed–the son of destruction,  

2 Thessalonians 2:3

This is not an apostasy. It is the apostasy—the worst apostasy ever!

Sadly, I believe most end-time believers who fall away will be those who don’t prepare themselves spiritually and physically now. Much of today’s Western church expects to escape before the great tribulation hits. As a result, they don’t physically prepare by storing food, water, shelter, etc. And, worse, they don’t prepare mentally to suffer material hardship or persecution. As a result, today’s believers who choose to reject the Bible’s end time message, preferring to stay on the ‘happy path,’ will not have the information and strength of faith to avoid the coming ‘powerful delusion.’

The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

The Rapture

Even if you believe in a pretribulation rapture, it’s obvious that our world is destabilizing. So, it’s wise to prepare for whatever may happen before you’re raptured.

Stand in Faith

Today, civility and peace is disintegrating in every nation. To stand in faith we need to be spiritually and physically prepared for the various trials that are coming?

Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:13 BSB

Therefore, the purpose of this website is to teach Christians how to spiritually and physically ‘stand in faith.’

This Website’s Contents

Posts: Look on the upper right side of every page and you can find blog articles about many topics under the heading “Musings and Teachings.”

Categories & Tags: At the very bottom of each page (or post) you can easily find all my writings on a certain topic. Simply go to the bottom of a page and either select a category or filter by a tag. After you click on a topic, all related information will be presented to you.

Pages: Each hyperlinked title below is a main page on this website.

The Kingdom of God | God’s Top Priority | Why the Delay?

• 144,000 Overcomers, the Sons of God
• Jesus started it; we’re going to finish it
• Two types of believers contrasted

Spiritual Warfare for God’s End-Time Overcomers | The Overcomers’ Treasure Map

• Biblical components of a human being
• How and Why we wage spiritual warfare
• God’s adversaries in heaven
• The value of Christian suffering
• The Court of heaven
• Our adversaries on earth
• The 5 eons in God’s plan of redemption

The Manifestation of the Sons of God : Unveiling the 144,000

• Arise, Shine!
• The glorious manifestation of the Sons of God
• Manifestation versus adoption
• The 144,000 War
• How the 144,000 will cause Satan and his angels to be cast down from heaven

Physical Preparations to Stand In Faith

• Preparedness Overview
  • Community
  • Shelter
  • Water
  • Food
  • Hygiene, Health and Medical
  • Security
  • Tools
  • Communications
  • Money and Barter