Don’t Panic Over Egypt (II)

Since the last time we discussed the events that had befallen Egypt, many things have happened since then in that volatile place in the world.  At home oil and food prices have gone up, and in the Middle East,  more protests for freedom have broken out in other countries.  There are protests in Bahrain, Libya and other countries as well.  Even Iran had some uprisings.  These are events that are beyond our scope and control. 

Meanwhile here in the U.S. there are some who are now saying end is near so to speak.  To these good people I still say do not panic.  Here is what I think we should do in uncertain  times like these.  I have spoken with many of my brothers and sisters in Christ and some are already believing the end is near.  Some stock up food and water, some stock up silver and gold, and some prepare for the end with fear.  I say do not fear.

The first thing we should do when we hear prophecy is to judge it.  Is it from God?  Too many times we hear the end is near and we rush to fear and panic.  We need to step back and judge that the the prophecy being brought forth is indeed from God.  Deuteronomy 18: 20-22 declares:

²⁰ “But any prophet who fakes it, who claims to speak in my name something I haven’t commanded him to say, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.”

 ^21-22 You may be wondering among yourselves, “How can we tell the difference, whether it was God who spoke or not?” Here’s how: If what the prophet spoke in God’s name doesn’t happen, then obviously God wasn’t behind it; the prophet made it up. Forget about him.

In 1999, there were many Godly men who predicted that the world’s communication systems would be greatly disrupted when the year 2000 rolled around on january 1st.  The world was so caught up in Y2K hysteria that many stared hoarding supplies to survive the crisis.  Y2K arrived and nothing happened.  Life went on as normal.  I then decided many of these men who claimed to have heard from God on this issue were not prophets.  They were still Godly men and still had their calling, but they were not prophets. Who of us has not believed that we may have heard from God at one time or another and been wrong.  I know I have been guilty of this also.   So judge the prophecy, and if it is of God there will peace in our hearts, minds, and spirits.  Even when we receive bad news the peace of God is with us. 

When  the doctor came to me and told me that my daughter was diagnosed with cancer I felt the peace of God around me.  I knew we had received bad news, but God’s peace allowed me to think clearly and pray.  I heard from him that this would not be a sickness unto death, but rather my daughter would be fine, but we would still have to go through the process.  If you hear these prophecies and all you feel is fear than it may not be of God.  I am no prophe, and I do not know what will happen in the Middle East, but I do know that God is in control and this did not catch him by surprise.  This too will work out for his purposes and good.

Even if the end were near, we still should not fear or panic because this signals the return of Christ.  And his imminent return should bring joy and not fear.  I know if I die today, I will go to be with him.  As the apostle Paul so eloquently put it: ” To live is Christ, to die is Gain.”   So if the end is nearing then we should not be worried, but witnessing,  if the end is near than we should not fear but have faith,  if the end is near we should not panic but pray.

The first thing we do in this Middle East situation is Judge, the next thing we do is pray.  That discussion is for the next post so you will have to tune in.  LOL

I leave you with these two scriptures:  1 John 4:1   Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. ² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet^[a] acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

Philippians 4:6 

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Until next time, God bless and keep you.