|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

I hear a lot of people in the church saying that the truth about the end times is "doom and gloom" or "negative." This should be really troubling to hear. It reveals a misunderstanding about the true nature of Jesus' end time plans, and is the core of the warning about "offense" in Matthew 24: Matthew 24:9-13 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. (10) And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. (11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (12) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (13) But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Offense is not produced by events...it is produced by wrong expectations. This is the warning over and over by Jesus regarding His return: do not be deceived. False prophets prophesy smooth and positve things. This is why their prophecies are SO decepti

2 Peter 3:1-8 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), (2) that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, (3) knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, (4) and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." (5) For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, (6) by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. (7) But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (8) But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as

The humility of God is what is most astonishing. The Roman God's have stories rooted in fantasy and mythology...reputations built on grand stories. The false religions are steeped in fantasy of their god's and prophet's supernatural feats to simply show their grandiose stature...night journeys and heavenly visits...all of which point their followers to the imposed submission required in the presence of these "great gods". These false religions reflect the nature of their gods....With the adherents trying to elevate in power and demanding submission to their gods, and thus, themselves. But, the true Creator of All is entirely different. Jesus was born of a woman, into a barn. He was a refugee in Egypt, because he was vulnerable...On purpose! Although He is God and all things were created through Him, He chose to put that all aside and come to earth as a man...Even dying a natural death...experiencing the ultimate shame of the fall of humanity: Phillippians 2:6Thoug

The Book of Revelation is the final culmination of the promises and warnings in the Bible that have been stated and re-stated for thousands of years. It really isn't new information. It is the foretelling of God keeping His promise to reward those who love him and sift those who don't. The problem most people have with revelation stems back to a basic misunderstanding of what it means to be saved. Jesus paid for me to be able to be reconnected to God so I could change and live by the leadership of the author of the law. I can't live in the leadership of the Holy Spirit and my own way at the same time. Freedom comes from obeying what the holy Spirit is telling me. That means I have to hear God, then obey Him. That is the freedom Jesus paid for. Jesus paid for me to change into an obedient person, not for me to live however I want and think he wiped out the consequences for my ongoing rebellion to being conformed to WHO He is: 2 Corinthians 3:17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and

We see dimly: 1 Corinthians 13:9For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. This passage, in it's context, is an end time passage, describing the increase in vision and revelation that is promised as the prophetic passages that were thousands of years in the coming finally come into focus. It is important to be careful HOW we listen to the Lord and the prophetic clarity that is emerging in the earth. Don't look for the one way a prophetic fulfillment doesn't seem to be happening...Look for the ways it is happening, humbly knowing that we don't have this all fit together right...No one does. Many will be dismayed to fi

Matthew 22:4“Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5“But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6“And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7“But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9‘Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ God is never going to scare people into loving Jesus. He is never going to scare the church into agreeing with Jesus' return. No one wants a bride who is only getting married for fear of loss. God is perfectly orchestrating events...Seen and unseen...To get any who want to live with God forever to ELE

One thing I have noticed over the last several years is that often, people get super excited about encountering God, the prayer room, the feeling of growing in holiness and the freedom that comes with it. But, after a while "real life" creeps back in. I have seen so many that hung on every word of revelation, David's Tabernacle, and the end times, that just as quickly as they lit up, they burned out. The only way to really touch the reality of moving in the direction of wholeheartedness is to ask for, and recieve it. MANY try this and it works. But, the simplicity of this light burden and easy yoke gets lost in the process. Someone comes along and quences the fire with some stray or unkind words (usually based in their own feeling of lack in the light of a fiery life), or opportunity rises up, or simple distraction sets in, and suddenly it is less and less of a priority to keep pressing in and growing in love. Anything alive is either growing or dying, including our relat

Doubt: Transliteration: diakrinō Pronunciation: dē-ä-krē'-nō Part of Speech: verb Root Word (Etymology): From διά (G1223) and κρίνω (G2919) Outline of Biblical Usage: to separate, make a distinction, discriminate, to prefer to learn by discrimination, to try, decide to determine, give judgment, decide a dispute to withdraw from one, desert to separate one's self in a hostile spirit, to oppose, strive with dispute, contend to be at variance with one's self, hesitate, doubt ------------ Doubt is simply the senses striving against the word of God. Doubt steals all the enjoyment out of the act of faith. It divides mind, will, and emotion from the choice to believe the word of God. Doubt is full of very real reasons, but it produces no faith. It waters down faith...Makes it easier to let go of if necessary. Doubt is simply already deciding to not believe if things don't look right in the future. Doubting accomplishes nothing. It's a thief. Doubt was the crack Satan intro