Gutted...

This blog is and was about Christian topics from the start, but today I set aside that prerequisite for a special case of loss.

Saturday we lost a bright star in the effort of animal rescue, and specifically in Fox rescue. Mikayla Raines founder of Save-a-Fox died by suicide due to in large part from internet bullying and abuse.

I've always had great respect and admiration for Mikayla and her work as I know so many others have as well. I only wish she could have dismissed the negative and held on to the numerous positives.

She is survived by her husband Ethan and her daughter Freya. All my love and prayers to you both for comfort and peace in the midst of this unnecessary tragedy, and to all the rescues in your care who will undoubtably feel the loss and absence. The road ahead is long and painful.

Internet cruelty is a serious thing, and the old adage is wrong... Word's can and do hurt more than some will ever know, and I pray most will never have to experience or endure.

🦊FoxMan

Insular...

I have to admit that I have a tendency to be Insular in nature when I am overwhelmed by everything going on around me.

Among the various definitions (mostly negative) for this word "Insular", I chose to use it with the definition that "Insular" can be used to describe a person who is socially isolated and tends to avoid contact with others.

This is a default fallback position for me often, to be in solitude. Sort of a mental "Run for the hills" kind of reaction. A mental version of disappearing into the woods and building a bushcraft shelter of the mind and putting the world aside.

You may have noticed my absence here for a couple months. This would be why. As of late I have had enough, actually too much... And before you ask, this is not about people or any person as source, this is purely a stress response.

I needed a break, a sabbatical as it were, and though I kept up my minimal required contact and maintenance of certain obligations, I have for the most part stepped back from almost everyone.

It's times like these I dive into my Christian Mental Health Song library for headphone therapy. Nothing else will do besides healthy doses of the word also.

On top of this, in the physical realm, the wife and I went through a serious bout of the Common Cold. No it wasn't a flu or covid, just a cold, but a doozy.

So you may ask why am I here now? Well, I have had several friends do a welfare check as it were and I figured I had better at least say I am alive and ease other's distress.

It is good to be wanted and loved. And ultimately Christ is the epitome of that statement.

Not sure what the next blog entry will be about, as like I said in the beginning of this I am not on a schedule for it, but write when moved to, in which even todays entry was prompted by concern.

In His Mercy, in His Grace, in His love! Blessings!

Your brother and fellow-servant of the Most High!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Only Fools Rush In...

Seems only appropriate to speak on the topic of fools today.

Welcome to the second quarter of the year 2025 everyone. And of course that starts with April 1st (April Fools Day).

I will endeavor to balance this post out with a discussion about the wise as well.

Traditionally, April Fools is considered lighthearted and a cause for humor and not to be injurious to any taken by pranks played on the unsuspecting.

This is not the case however all the time. There are those who live to enjoy the suffering of others, who's souls are bereft of compassion, empathy, or honor, who live for the kill and injury they inflict at another's expense. It can occur in the psychological realm, as well as the physical. This day is easily taken as license to go beyond common-sense limits and boundaries of ethics and safety.

Like another day to celebrate Trick or Treat, it is a sad day to be honored by fools so much.

Traditionally, "The Fool" (as a noun) has been used as a reference to an entertainer or a court jester for use to break tensions and introduce comic relief.

"The Fool" (as a noun) also is referenced in some cultures as the effect of random chaos and a trickster motif.

"The Fool" (as an adjective) has been used as a description since ancient times toward those individuals who do not learn or grow character, but in the negative sense as to wickedness and mischief, where they pridefully expound on their arrogance and error. Attempting to force their life of a lie on to everyone else.

Biblically speaking, the nature of a fool is the lack of understanding, lack of desire to understand, and a reactionary impulsiveness, rejecting guidance, disregarding wisdom, in which they make poor choices often with harmful consequences to themselves and those around them. And a big sad part of it is that they will never change from forces outside of themselves. As with anyone, change comes from within.

The "Wise man" is reserved, considers an answer before speaking, sometimes choosing not to speak in discernment. The "Wise man" seeks to learn, is humble enough to know he is a fool as well and is reaching for wisdom and understanding. Self-evaluating and empathic to others (even the fool). He can identify foolish behaviors both in others as well as within himself to correct his course of actions and words to seek and strive towards wisdom in his daily Spiritual journey. If he understands "The Fool" and their nature, he can avoid the pitfalls they fall into. 

As a Christian, we should desire to gain greater insights and develop a life that reflects the wisdom and divine love of God.

Proverbs devotes a large portion of its verses to both fools as compared to the wise man.

I picked two of the many verses about fools for this post.

Proverbs 10:23

Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,

And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

Proverbs 27:22

Though you grind a fool in a mortar,

grinding them like grain with a pestle,

you will not remove their folly from them.

The first I chose for the implication of the callousness (insensitive and cruel disregard for others) which embodies the nature of a fool in relation to those around them.

The second I chose for the fact that they usually never change, nor ever care to.

I thought I might also share some quotes about fools and the wise from the secular world that have some profound truths as well about them.

Fools:

“Who is more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?”
    - Obi Wan Kenobi [Star Wars: A new Hope]

“Who is more foolish? The fool or the fool who argues with him?”
    - Variation of the above and a general theme of Proverbs on Fools and the Wise

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
    - Mark Twain

He who asks, is a fool for 5 minutes, but he who does not ask is a fool forever.
    - Mark Twain

It's easier to fool people, than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
    - Mark Twain

The Wise:

A wise man may look ridiculous in the company of fools.
    - Thomas Fuller

A wise man confesses his wrong, but a fool defends it.
    - Dr Doug Weiss

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.

    - Jim Eliot

This last one of course applies so richly to that precious gift of salvation we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.

A couple last quotes about "being fooled". Relate more to a self-reflection of an observation of the act of being fooled and a guarding tactic against being fooled.

Sometimes you just have to play the role of a fool
to fool the fool who thinks they are fooling you.
    - Anonymous

There are two ways to be fooled.
One is to believe what isn't true;
the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
    - Soren Keirkegaard

With all this said let us remember this; that the reverence for God is the foundation of true wisdom. Our choice for Christ has made us wiser than we know now, and we will know it in the future.

Let us continue to seek wisdom and understanding in the days and years ahead of us that we have been allotted. Pray for discernment, pray for wisdom, pray for peace. Above all, pray for everything.

Grace and Peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Encroachment

One of the hardest things that I have come to know is that of Patient Endurance (Perseverance). In recent weeks, I have had the same constant theme in my dreams. that of being worn out or at the whim of an out-of-control situation.

- Chased by wolves nipping at my heels until I finally make it to shelter just in time. Enemies that would love to devour me, some I thought were friends.

- At the wheel of a huge and heavily laden vehicle barreling down the hill with brakes that seemingly refuse to work until the very last moment in rough and smoking success.

- Repairing items with reluctant parts, as three more items break down, until I finally catch up to some kind of temporary balance where things work again.

An overwhelming Meley of rapidly increasing stress and bewilderment intended to weaken one's faith and take one's focus off of Him.

And how hard it is not to engage the consuming cacophony of outrage and disbelief in the wickedness of what is discovered in the world.

It is indeed the very last and little strength I have to keep His word and not deny His Name. This raw and basic perseverance I cannot accomplish without Him.

It is never fun when your dreams steal the peace and sanctity of your sleep, and yet mine have a message for me.

They always end with me outrunning the enemy, with me putting a stop to a run-away cargo load, with me reaching a balance in a return to normal operations.

The message is: He's got me!

He is the one who brings me to the destination, the one in control, the one who recovers and provides the solution and the conclusion.

I shall not be intimidated.

Dear Christian and Beloved, do not give up your hope, Stand Firm and let His shield of faith quench and deflect the fiery darts of the enemy. Hold that sword forward straight and true, and let His word cut the enemy asunder.

It was never our strength that would accomplish our victory, but His and His alone. Our victory is in our faith about Him, who overcame the world for us, and by that faith we share in His victory, thereby becoming victorious through Him as was His purpose.

The enemy always tries to get us to fight him, but it is the Lord's fight and He has already won! Our champion! Our captain!

He is the Word. The Word is life! His name is precious! Do not be distracted nor deceived...

Hold Fast to that which you have, your FAITH! It is so very important.

Grace and peace to you all in our Lord Jesus Christ!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

A cold day in January

It took me a bit to pull this blog entry together. Though it is February, the title is still accurate as it had been percolating like a pot of coffee for a while through the deep freeze days.

I thank and praise God for these times, though sometimes I am troubled by the process to get to the publishing of it. After all, these are as much for me as they are for anyone else out there that reads them.

I have my spiritual battles like anyone else. The enemy is always there ready to jump at an opportunity, whether it be physical or mental assaults of discomfort and doubt, I have to sling the chain of the word around him and take it all captive to the word. It's so important to not react, and to just turn to Christ in everything.

There is of course the rapid changes all around us in the USA and in the world, politically, financially, and even yes in the religious front. For all the change, there are a few things that don't seem to change, and never seems to end either, and I really should not be surprised about it.

The assault on the Biblical and factual permanent eternal salvation (often labeled OSAS) and the constant attempts to declare it a lie from hell, because they can't accept the simplicity of it, or the finality of it, and that they have NO part in the Justification process that God has established through, and ONLY through, His Son.

The enemy fights so hard here, and this is why you know the promise is real, because he fights so hard here.

And what consumes a person into pursuing the diminishment of God's great gift of eternal Salvation by His grace, and polluting it with fear, and error, and misrepresenting Christ in such a horrible way?

Simply, they do not really know Him, they have no real hope, they are pursuing a lie, a lie they want you to conform to. Obviously, we are to be conformed to Christ, not to other men, not other ideals, not other personal glories and titles or positions.

Perhaps (Matthew 7:15-23) defines it best. Here, judging fruit is about discernment and avoiding false prophets, not about judging someone else's salvation which is not our business. That is Christ's business, His work in their lives.

These false prophets and teachers and preachers are the ones who followed their will, their lusts, their pride, as if to say, "my word and my command, and look, even Jesus agrees with me." Such arrogance and self-centeredness. No heart relationship with Christ Jesus, just name dropping for effect to control and manipulate. Indeed, He never knew them, and they wanted no part of the personal experience. They were after their own glory.

The word is clear, God only is judge, and who are you to judge your brother, specifically in the matter of salvation (Rom 14:4 / Matthew 7:1-6). Who are you to speak for God in the matter of another person's relationship with Christ and what's in their heart? Paul tells us explicitly that he will stand [before Christ], because He [Christ] is able to make him stand. It is Christ work that justifies all who are His, not our works.

You see everyone from the outside, just as they see you as well. Christ will not be asking you about their sins and their works when you stand in front of Him. He'll be looking directly at and through you, and they won't be squirming in their skin when YOUR failures are examined, YOU will.

If you don't like this, then let me pour you a tall glass of "Get over it", and here's a straw to "Suck it up", because God has already decreed what He will do and has done, without any counsel from you or I.

Too many people attach their opinion and presumption to the real, raw word of God, and cause others to stumble by it.

And it is a fair warning to such:  Do not call what He has made clean, unclean.

We have been made clean in His sacrifice. Who is anyone to say that His work was not enough?

The word is also clear, that the will of the Father, and the work of the Son [and therefore us] is to do the will of the Father. That will is explicit and is simple. "to believe in the Son" the result of which is eternal life which is His gift, His promise, His covenant, and His charge.

John 6:29

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this:
to believe in the One He has sent.”

John 6:39-40

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me,
that I shall lose none of those He has given Me,
but raise them up at the last day.

For it is My Father’s will that everyone
who looks to the Son and believes in Him
shall have eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 10:27-30

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
No one can snatch them out of My hand.

My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all.
No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

I and the Father are one.”

This is the importance of keeping His word [written and from the Holy Spirit within us] and prayer and worshiping in spirit and truth, because He is the Living word. He is our shield, and His word is our weapon against the enemy.

John 4:23-24

“But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and in truth,
for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.

God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

He [Jesus] is and MUST BE our focus, not things, not events, not other people, not pursuing outrage over earthly things, not threats, not worry, and certainly not ourselves.

It's important in these times to not get wrapped up in world events and images. What you see and hear must be taken in context. Things need to be considered in context of words and subject before and after, or you get misinformed. This goes for everything.

A single picture, or clip of a video, or quote for example subtracts all that was around it and is deceptive in that vein. A half-truth is still a lie.

We should all know by now that NOTHING in Media, Social Media, Gossip Train word of mouth, yada yada yada, can be trusted. Nothing but the Word.

Instead of worry and fear, you should be calm and trusting of God...

Be Still [at peace], and know He is God. He will be exalted among the nations.

He is still on the throne, and we are His own by His hand, that's all that matters. It's that simple.

All things go as He has foreseen and by His plan, and we should rejoice in this, since it means our soon departure.

So, let's talk about our faith for a moment. True heart felt faith, and not just lip service.

1 John 5:1-5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.

By this we know that we love the children of God:
when we love God and keep His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.

And His commandments are not burdensome,
because everyone born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world:
our FAITH.

Who then overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Here John exquisitely equates "overcoming the world" [something we could not do on our own] with Faith [believing that Jesus is the Son], and with the divine Love of Christ [something we could not express without His Spirit within us] which is encompassed in the commandments to love God and love your neighbor as yourself and to love others as Christ has loved us.

This is why they are not burdensome, because they are kept by the work of Jesus's Holy Spirit within us. These are not the Torah [10] commandments as a list of do's and don'ts, but are the very nature of God's law expressed through His divine love.

None of this is possible without Christ's Holy Spirit within us. We [now] love, because He first loved us.

Paul continually links our Justification and the Law of Love throughout his writings:

Galatians 2:16

...a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus,
that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law NO ONE will be justified.

Galatians 5:14

The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Against such things there is no law.

Romans 13:8-10

Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love.

For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

The commandments “Do not commit adultery,”
“Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”
and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no wrong to its neighbor.
Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

And as Paul reflects in the famous chapter on divine love:

1 Corinthians 13:2

If I have the gift of prophecy and
can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains,

but have not love, I am nothing.

Faith is described as the "Certainty of what has been promised us" both in eternal salvation, His return for us, and of peace and freedom from sin forever.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for
and the certainty of what we do not see.

Faith comes in all different sizes and grows over time with experience and confirmation. It reinforces itself by lessons learned. Obviously, we all start somewhere, and a seed makes the greatest representation of the experience.

Matthew 17:20

“Because you have so little faith,” He answered.

“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Now, Faith will shrink if you are not focused on the right thing. It's why Peter quickly started sinking, and He correctly got his focus back on Jesus with a 3-word prayer "Lord, save me!".

This is why I often remark about why so many focus on the negatives, and the do's and don'ts, and even the past sins. Stop wallowing in your past failures. Learn from them sure, but why constantly focus on the past sins when God has already forgiven you and tossed them as far as the East is from the West, never to be seen or known of again. Why do we keep dredging them up and reliving them?

And again, Faith in Christ Jesus as the Son is all that matters at the moment, however large or small it is.

It can be the desperate last breath of faith, the desperate whimper of faith of the depressed, the stoic all-in stubbornness faith under pressure and trial, any genuine Faith that is "faith in Him" is already 100% belief. You either believe or you don't, and any failures on our part have nothing to do with it.

In (2 Timothy 2) [Grace and Perseverance] we find a truth at the end of (verse 13) not often relayed to the saved by most preachers and teachers who are more interested in controlling and scaring everybody. Fear is not from God. This truth is the cornerstone of eternal salvation once and for all, because it relies on Christ, not on us.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

This is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with Him,
we will also live with Him;

if we endure,
we will also reign with Him;

if we deny Him,
He will also deny us;

if we are faithless,
He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny Himself.

We have four parts here. It is important to note here that these are conditions of the heart relationship with Christ.

1.) Paul starts off with the Saved, and why they are saved. To genuinely accept Christ is to die to self. It is a moment that is instant and forever, regardless of our doubts, our struggles, and our failures that may follow. We have accepted His covenant, and we cannot leave it once genuinely taken. It's binding. Christ meets all the terms necessary for its validity. We do nothing to gain it, or to maintain it. We have died to self, and are now totally dependent on Him. Christ owns us and is responsible for our sanctification until resurrection and rapture. We receive the Holy Spirit as a promissory and a comfort, and as a seal. No one breaks His seal, not even ourselves. This is key to #4 down below.

2.) Paul differentiates Salvation from Sanctification and Reward, that if we endure patiently (Perseverance) we will be rewarded and lifted up and will reign with Him in the Millennium. This does not mean we lose salvation if we do not endure.

3.) Paul differentiates Non-believers from Saved here. This is an unbeliever, one who has outright denied Christ up front and has chosen their own will over His will. They have until their death to change this choice.

4.) Paul expresses the faltering of a believer (their faith or lack of it at a later point). This is NOT an unbeliever here. He upholds the gift once given, because He cannot deny Himself. His Holy Spirit is in us as a believer. He will deliver on His promise, because He must. It has nothing to do with the failure of the person. It's a covenant that He maintains, and not us, once the gift is given. He doesn't take gifts back.

Proverbs 24:16a

For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still stands back up.

If you doubt this, then then remember Paul in (1 Corinthians 5:5) when he says "Hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord."

This is the quintessential verse that describes our current condition in the Age of Grace, and why God's gift of Salvation is such an abundance of Grace. We are newborn spirits [His Spirit within us], in old flesh bodies that are awaiting the final redemption of Glorification.

Now... After Resurrection and Rapture, and into the Tribulation, the stakes are much higher for the person. Grace is gone, and now endurance is expected. True faith goes to the death in not denying Him as Lord and the Son. This is the lesson of the 10 Virgins [Bridesmaids], as the Oil is Faith, not the Holy Spirit as is often taught falsely. And much extra Faith will be needed to endure to whatever end.

Again, a shining example of why the Gift is one of abundant Grace, because all of us in this Age of Grace just couldn't make it all the way to our ends, without that grace.

Once you are His, nothing and no one [including ourselves] can take us away from Him. It's a permanent thing. Your progress, or lack, in your sanctification has no bearing or relevance on His gift of Grace and Mercy.

No matter how far you drift away, no matter how deep you fall, His arm is long enough, His grace sufficient for us, that He is right there next to you, just a step away with open arms and a welcoming hand.

No one else's opinion or bias matters, for He only is judge, and He only knows and searches the heart of men.

Jesus is the start and the finish of our salvation, final, and once and for all time.

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. Stand firm then... (Ephesians 6:13-14a)

For, you will stand, because He is able to make you stand. (Romans 14:4)

Come soon Lord Jesus!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Impending adversity...

I was hoping to start out the New Year of 2025 a bit positive, but that ship sailed even before the New Year had arrived.

I'm subject to any and as much trial as any of you are. In recent weeks a dark moody cloud has settled on all things, and there is no mistake about its origins. I do not fear it, but I do practice prudence concerning it.

In these moments a clear discernment is vital, and I have remained mostly silent so as not to slip into fleshly reactions. Solitude and meditation on His word are also vital. The silence is good for me, and Self-control is a characteristic of the wise and mature Christian.

In short, I can't trust myself, and therefore I MUST trust Him! It is only in His strength that I can achieve any of it, and the peace that comes with it.

The biblical characteristic of "self-control", often referred to as "self-discipline" or "temperance," is a fundamental virtue that is highly regarded in the Bible. It involves the ability to exercise restraint and moderation in various aspects of life, including our thoughts, words, actions, and desires.

According to the Bible, we can have self-control by:

• Trusting and depending on God. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

• Being led by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16)

• Walking in love. (Galatians 5:13-14)

• Cultivating it as part of our progression toward Christ-likeness. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

All of these come together as "Patient Endurance". It is also wisdom, where the prudent take cover in times of evil and remain silent. (Amos 5:13, Proverbs 22:3 & 27:12) 

The deception at play in the world today, is incredible and is only visible when you step out of its midst and see all the pieces progressing in tandem and at high speed. For me this requires stepping away from media, and social media, and not participating with and in it, with so many alarms going off that the distraction will trap you from any form of peace of mind.

Proverbs 24:1-2

Do not envy wicked men or desire their company; for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.

We are quickly approaching a threshold that once crossed, chaos will likely reign. Some are prematurely claiming we have already crossed it, but I say no, since we are still here. Be sure to know this though, that it is coming...

Today my area was graced with the relief of only rain and wind. No Ice, and maybe some light snow tomorrow. Next weekend is the big test. And I count it a luxury to have some more prep time for it.

While I am not of the world anymore, I am still in it. So, I must apply common sense and the Word to my situations as they come, along with prayer and thankfulness for what provisions are assigned to me.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I am occupying until He comes. I am like that curled up puppy resting in my Master's lap watching, but staying out of it all, because the alternative is to bark and stress over things out of my control and out of my real concern and displease Him in the process.

"Do not extinguish the Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 5:19) This requires that I submit to His will, and not my own.

And wait on Him...

• Let no fear control your life

• Let no distraction steal your Time with Him

• Let no doubt kill your Hope and Promise in Him

• Let nothing destroy your Joy in Him

Hold fast to that which you have!

You are already victorious, and a crown awaits you for it. The Word is your weapon against all things, and the Lord is your strength and your shield. You are an eternal being already by His gift, with no other effort but to have accepted it, and believe it, and proclaim it.

Grace and Peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Looking up...

This blog entry has been percolating for weeks now and finally has come to bear. Mainly because of the elusiveness of deceptions and distractions that abounds in our present state.

With the recent epidemic of drone news and the feeding frenzy of news sites and prolific U-tube sensationalists and prognosticators videos covering it and the speculations of "Alien Disclosure", has made the timing apropos for this discussion. 

The subject in its simplest form comes down to "Looking up".

It's a thing we do regularly in life in the physical as we stay aware of our surroundings. It also has a spiritual significance, as well as a psychological reference to our moods and emotions, and our mental health both in times of great stress and in times of ethereal peace.

I'm so tired. No, I'm not troubled, I'm worn out. And it is no more than any of you in this same condition.

What am I tired of?

For starters:

• Waiting ... (typical) I'm a creature of habit, and habits get old real fast.

• The World. It also has gotten old real fast.

• The assault of distractions, both in terms of the distractions, and those who continue to try and push them on us. I am not obligated to meet your demands for attention or my time and energy.

So please... Just stop.

The list goes on, but you get the point.

So, the question to ask is are you looking up?

And the second question is what are you looking up at or for or to?

Here, is where we get to the crux of this message. In this profound time of stress, the Word tells us to focus on Him. It is His sole message to the believer in all times, but most especially to those at the last days of the age. To Rest in Him, to Endure Patiently, to Look Up for His Soon coming for us.

I will reference a few points of scripture that have become my lifeline and raft in these very dark days. Those are (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36), (Revelation 3:8, 10-11).

All the world looks up at the skies and events in them, yet they do not consider that which is beyond it or regard the unseen things.

Folks look up in fear and trepidation of the unknown, things like drones in the sky, changing weather, celestial events, with a feeling of foreboding.

This is not how we are supposed to be, and these are not things we are supposed to determine to be important in our lives.

I will start with (Luke 21), and before you dismiss this as not relevant with a presumption of 2nd Coming timing as is so often blanketed on (Luke 21), stay with me as I point out some [Context].

Luke 21:25-28

There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.

Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

In this first part we see here a list of things to watch for to know that our (Redemption) is near, and to Look Up for it in anticipation. They are events that establish a timing period that is rather loosely defined as "near". The starting condition for that "near" is stated as "When these things begin to happen".

This "redemption" is nothing less than the Resurrection and Rapture. The Greek word (G629 - apolutrósis) used here means - "Ransom in full, Riddance (of sin), Release effected by payment of ransom, deliverance, IE redemption"

This therefor is not the end of the Tribulation, but the end of the current age.

This is further supported by the context of verses 34-36.

Luke 21:34-36

But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life— and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth.

So, keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.

Jesus cautions (as always) to watch your hearts (not to watch for a day or some sign) and to be separated from the world, or you will be caught off guard. This says nothing about Salvation which is secure and eternal. But the crown goes only to those who are longing for Him when He arrives.

That day will come upon the whole world as a trial and a snare (quickly).

So, He says to watch (our hearts) at all times, and to pray to have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and stand before Him at the BEMA (here He uses the Kinsman Redeemer title of Son of Man). This strength to escape, is none other than His salvation, His work, His strength and not our own. If you are saved, you are going, ALL who call...

And finally, you cannot escape all that is to come, if you have already gone through it, so it cannot be 2nd coming.

This is once again, the return of Christ for His own, ALL of them, He will not lose one that has been given Him. This escape, the Resurrection and Rapture, which is our final part of the whole redemption process, the Glorification of the believer, the full elimination of sin completely with our new bodies, and our exit from earth.

These two sections of (Luke 21) show the condition of the times that they reference. The world is bogged down in stress and worry and fear, and we are reminded to rise above that in our faith and focus on Him alone, come what may, as our stay is temporary.

The church of Philadelphia in (Revelation 3) shows a similar aspect and a similar structure. By context its description is that of the church at the time of the Resurrection and Rapture.

Revelation 3:8-11

I know your deeds. Behold, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.

I know that you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.

As for those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead, I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.

Because you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

It is a church (a body of believers) holding on by a string, grasping with all strength and might that they can muster to Jesus (His name) in faith and belief, and to His legitimate and authentic word, knowing that He IS God the Son, the word made flesh, and by His foundation are deemed worthy to be redeemed and are loved by Him.

A church mocked, berated, dismissed, hated, persecuted by the world and by the fakes who claim a covenant but are nothing more than liars.

A church who does not get lost in the lies and the distraction and worries of the world, and look at the rich reward for the simple action of faith. Simply to believe and trust Him as God, and to trust His promise.

These verses never cease in encouragement, they never grow weak.

And so, I ask you, what is it you are looking up for or to?

Pray for discernment, pray for wisdom, pray for peace and pray for focus. Above all, pray for everything, so that you will have that strength to escape all that is about to come upon the earth.

Grace and Peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]