July 19: WITH WHOM DO YOU IDENTIFY?

In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.  Revelation 9:6

Continuing in the study of the fifth trumpet plague that spreads over the earth like black smoke of a great furnace (v.2), we are reminded that its adverse spiritual devastation affects only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (v.4). This is not to say that God’s sealed people are not greatly saddened by the ongoing abominations that lead to broken down lives and certain death.

In Old Testament times, we learn through the writings of Ezekiel that God marked His faithful people prior to a judgment, as the majority of His professed people sank repeatedly into apostasy. Only the Omnipotent One can see all that is in a man’s heart. His mark (or seal) was, in large part, for the benefit of the angels: to make clear the distinction between the faithful and the unfaithful prior to the falling of the judgment: And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:3b-4).

Today’s darkening world is bringing more and more people to a state of weak and ill health, both mentally and physically, even to the point of suicidal anguish. Yet, the power of our Savior’s love must never be underestimated. He is still saving people, and we are to seize every opportunity to demonstrate His love and concern for all people. It is only in trusting His promises and obeying His instructions that His people will be enabled to see their own way through this dark time while setting a winsome example for others. This world is not our home (yet!) but is soon to be transformed to its original condition. “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5 NASB)

None of us is perfect. Nevertheless, we are to hold high the banner of God’s perfect standard with complete confidence in His power to restore for Himself a people to live in the restored world. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, to come into a right standing with Him can happen only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). If I truly identify with the death of Christ, I must die to every single thing in this life that was never a part of Him. Every true believer is in the cleansing process known as sanctification, and this cleansing process is how we identify with His resurrection. Many that Jesus healed received their healing as they went…

A nuance of Satan’s strategy is to wedge into the lives of professed believers “idols” that destroy bodies (God’s temple!) and weaken minds (the Holiest Place!). Using deceptive messaging, he calls these destructive habits “living” but in the end, they bring about a mental state of preferring death over life. These without the seal of God are seeking death by things that are advertised to make life better. As they go, they are identifying with him who steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10).

To live in this world which is still under Satan’s sway, we must soar like eagles above the cloudy storms and black smoke in order to keep in view the promises of God. Only His empowerment can make such upward movement happen. Life moves in one direction or the other. Where we are looking determines the direction of life. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ.

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1b-2