Maranatha - Awaiting Christ's Return

1 Cor. 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Tag: John 14:16

Protection Is Found

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On May 19, 2025

In Devotionals, Hymns for Today

Psalm 91:1-4  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  (2)  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  (3)  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  (4)  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Did you know that shade provides temperatures 25 degrees lower than standing in the sun? What a relief it is to be walking in the heat of day, then to come under a tree to feel the shade it provides! To top it off, now add a cold glass of lemonade or iced tea! Ahhhhh! As you sit down and lean against the tree, you can experience what it is like to be under God’s wings. What does that mean, exactly? What do His wings provide? I can think of several things:

  • It provides shade: When life gets “hot” with worries and troubles, the Lord God provides us with comfort to decrease that heat. Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
  • It provides protection: God protects us from the enemy’s darts and efforts to deflate your zeal for the Lord. Psalm 121:7  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 2Th 3:3  But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
  • It provides a covering: Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Romans 4:7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. When Adam and Eve sinned, God covered them with the skins of a slain animal. Blood was shed in order for them to be covered. Genesis 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Just as Jesus’ blood was shed to cover our sins!
  • It provides “closeness”: The Lord is never so far that He cannot hear you. He hears the faintest whisper of a cry when you are too overwhelmed to speak. Like the Shepherd who carries a wounded sheep, the Lord presses up against us and carries us through our trials. Psalm 145:18  The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Psalm 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Acts 17:27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: James 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Matthew 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Today’s hymn brings such comfort to my spirit. We are living in times of uncertainty. The days are getting truly more wicked than ever. We think things can’t possibly get any worse; but yet, they will as the Bible tells us. Read the words below and listen to the hymn again. Let this mini message from Mr. Cushing sink deep so you can see the Lord’s works in your life.

Under His Wings – by William Orcutt Cushing

1 Under His wings I am safely abiding;
  Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me;
  He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

CHORUS:
Under His wings, under His wings,
  Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
    Safely abide forever.

2 Under His wings—what a refuge in sorrow!
  How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
  There I find comfort, and there I am blest.

3 Under His wings—oh, what precious enjoyment!
  There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
  Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore.

God provided His Holy Spirit to live within us. He never leaves us because He’s in us and with us. We know that each name of God has a purpose. In this case, Emmanuel (God with us) tells us that Christ’s Holy Spirit lives here and now, within each born-again believer. Christ left us His Spirit so we could always be under His wings. Did you know that the Book of John is the only Gospel that calls the Holy Spirit “Comforter”?

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The Comforter places us under His wings – are you abiding there? Only God’s Word can promise your very own place to retreat and find solace. Find Jesus there while you wait for His return!

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Do You Feel Alone Sometimes?

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On April 7, 2025

In Devotionals, Thoughts and Meditations

Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. (Isa 58:9a)

Despite the hustle and bustle of the world around us, miles of traffic jams, and crowded stores, it is amazing how many people in this world suffer from loneliness. Man was not created to be alone. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Gen 2:18) No matter how much of a loner one is, that person has a need for human contact at some point or another. Most are not loners, however, so human contact is a vital ingredient for healthy emotions. Loneliness left unchecked leads to despair.

As a born-again believer, I am encouraged by God’s Holy Word because He deals with this very subject over and over. God knew from the beginning that man could not be alone, and that he would suffer from loneliness. So much so, He included the beautiful Book of Psalms for encouragement and countless other verses throughout His Word. Our Father knows our needs because He created us. He knows everything about us. We cannot hide anything from Him, including our loneliness. [To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.] O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. (Psa 139:1) I stand amazed that our God knows all of us in this intimate way. God has searched each one of us and knows us!

Even when we are at our lowest, the Lord is right there to lift us up through His Word. I think of David when he made this statement in Psa 27:10, When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. David knew that his God would never forsake him. The Lord reassures His children over and over throughout His Word that He is faithful. … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb 13:5b) Again, He assures us in Isa. 42:16, …These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

When we need comfort and reassurance, He promises to be there for us. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18 Our Heavenly Father is there every moment of the way in our Christian walk. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. (Gen 28:15) God spoke to countless people in the Old Testament with words of encouragement. However, those same words can assure us that because He spoke to them in this manner, He will speak to us through His Word with the same impact.

We may fall asleep at night and forget the day’s trials and burdens but our God never sleeps and is ever watching out for us. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (Psa 121:4) Does that not bring you comfort? You are not alone, my friend. No matter how empty your house is, you are not alone. No matter if there is no one sitting with you in your car, you are not alone. Your Heavenly Father has placed in you His Precious Holy Spirit. He comforts you, teaches you and points you to Christ through His Holy Word. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (Joh 14:16) (Emphasis mine).

How can you overcome your loneliness? Get in the Word, oh Christian. The Holy Spirit is waiting to bring that precious comfort to you. His comfort resides within the pages of your Bible but you must open it to receive it. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (Joh 14:26) We get refreshment and encouragement within the pages of our Bible as we are drawn and taught by the Holy Spirit. How full of mercy is our Father! He knows every fiber of our being and provides living water for us to walk away refreshed. Our loneliness dissipates as we soak up His Word and see once again the light of day.

Once we are refreshed, we are commanded to go out and be a friend to someone. A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: (Pro 18:24a) No one can feel alone when they are focused on helping others. There are people out there in need, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. God can use a believer who has overcome loneliness to minister to a lonely world. So many are lonely out there – won’t you let the Friend of all friends be your example? and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Pro 18:24b) Do you feel friendless? When you are born again, oh Christian, God calls you His friend. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (Joh 15:13) Jesus paid the ultimate price to be your friend. You are never alone.

Treat your loneliness today with a good dose of refreshing time in the Word; then put feet to your refreshing time, and spend time with someone who is lonely. God will use your trials to minister to another and bring glory to His Name.

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Who Is The Restrainer?

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On January 31, 2025

In Devotionals, Rapture

(2 Th 2:7)  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Today’s Bible verse is a good example of how the Holy Spirit works. Today, He keeps all-out evil at bay. He not only restrains, but He does so much more. Because of all that His role entails, it helps us to understand the significance of His role during the Tribulation.

I once did a study on the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives and it was such a blessing to me. I’ve listed them below because I believe that it opens our eyes at how significant His role is. For you to interpret 2 Thessalonians 2:7 properly, you need to know what the Holy Spirit does for the Church. Please take a moment to read the bullets and please look up each Bible verse reference:

We can easily see the Holy Spirit at work today in the Church, both in history and currently. He restrains (he who now letteth) the devil from totally taking over the world with his evil influence. The Holy Spirit Himself is not taken out because God is omnipresent. He exists everywhere. So it leads us to surmise that after the Church is gone via the Rapture, there is less holy influence on the world. Once the Holy Spirit’s restraint is taken out of the way, the devil is no longer held back. Do you understand this? The Holy Spirit has taken residence in each born-again believer and once His restraining power (through every believer) is taken out of the way, those born again believers will be taken out of the way as well. Why do I know this? I know this because Jesus said that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will abide with us FOR EVER.

(Joh 14:16)  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

That is why we don’t see the Holy Spirit working in the same manner in the New Testament as we do in the Book of Revelation. It appears that His role will be just as it was in the Old Testament. During that time, He anointed prophets and worked through them, along with priests, judges and kings. He will do the same with the two witnesses (who will perform great miracles), the 144,000 men from the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 14:4), who will spread the news of salvation to a wicked world.

Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

©All content on this site is protected under copyright. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited.

Any Day Now – Day 19

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On April 12, 2024

In Any Day Now, Devotionals

(2 Th 2:7)  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Today’s Bible verse is a good example of how the Holy Spirit will work during the Tribulation. He will not only restrain, but He will do so much more. Because of all that His role entails, it helps us to understand the significance of His role during the Tribulation.

I once did a study on the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives and it was such a blessing to me. I’ve listed them below because I believe that it opens our eyes at how significant His role is. For you to interpret 2 Thessalonians 2:7 properly, you need to know what the Holy Spirit does for the Church. Please take a moment to read the bullets and please look up each Bible verse reference:

We can easily see the Holy Spirit at work today in the Church, both in history and currently. He restrains (he who now letteth) the devil from totally taking over the world with his evil influence. But once He is taken out of the way, the devil is no longer held back. During the Tribulation, the devil will have free reign and his evil deeds will be everywhere. Do you understand this? The Tribulation cannot begin until the Holy Spirit who restrains the power of the evil one “be taken out of the way.” This happens at the Rapture. This doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit not be present at all. After all, He is God and is omnipresent. The Holy Spirit has taken residence in each born-again believer and once His restraining power (through every believer) is taken out of the way, those born again believers will be taken out of the way as well. Why do I know this? I know this because Jesus said that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will abide with us FOR EVER.

(Joh 14:16)  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

That is why we don’t see the Holy Spirit working in the same manner in the New Testament as we do in the Book of Revelation. His role will be just as it was in the Old Testament. During that time, He anointed prophets and worked through them, along with priests, judges and kings. He will do the same with the two witnesses (who will perform great miracles), the 144,000 men from the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 14:4), who will spread the news of salvation to a wicked world.

Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

The Rapture – Day 11

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On February 2, 2022

In Devotionals, End Times, Rapture

Photography by Chris Michaud

Good morning! A beautiful blanket of freshly fallen snow was left overnight and we behold a beautiful scenery. The scenery is quietly left behind. This is exactly how I view the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t speak to my heart with fanfare – He quietly deposits God’s will for me through the His word. Praise the Lord for the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and through the church! I remember when I first was saved and attended my first church service. I’d never been in a church service where people actually enjoyed and loved being there! They had a common goal and that was to love, sing and worship the Lord together! I couldn’t get over the joy in my heart! I’d always attended catholic church and there was never any joy.

So back on point, if you recall, the Old Testament revealed the work of the Holy Spirit at various times when He was needed. He did not reside within those who loved God. He came at a time when God needed to accomplish something. There are many events of His presence but here’s one:

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

However, in the New Testament, Jesus promised to leave His Spirit with the believers. Notice the verse says that the Holy Spirit would abide with us for ever! If we are to go through the Tribulation, and the Holy Spirit goes back to His Old Testament presence, then this verse is not true!

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Come one people! The Scriptures do not contradict each other (John 10:35b): “the scripture cannot be broken”!

I firmly believe that the Spirit’s presence was not only needed to comfort and teach, but was also needed so that the Scriptures could be documented. In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit was revealed and He has been with the church ever since. It is He who organized the church (Acts 1:8) and endowed them with gifts. It is He who gave us the Scriptures. It is He who restrains sin until it is time to release God’s judgment upon the entire earth.

2Th 2:1-8  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (3)  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  (4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.  (5)  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?  (6)  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.  (7)  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  (8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Dear reader, all out sin and evil influences are being restrained right now by the Holy Spirit. If He were not within the church, things around us would be far worse. We see the “mystery of iniquity” already at work. Our world appears to have gone crazy. The devil has managed to infiltrate the world with critical race theory, the belief that there are over 100 different genders, and the taking of innocent lives through abortion. This is just to name a few but you can see my point. This sinful influence was not a part of us in the early 1900’s. But the “mystery of iniquity” has crept in and left its influence in the wicked hearts of man.

“Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way“! From the year 30 AD (when Acts 2 occurred) to today, the Holy Spirit has played an active role in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. The Bible has been translated in 704 languages as of 2020. But not everyone has access as we see below:

According to Ethnologue, there are currently 7,106 living languages in the world. As of 2020 the full Bible has been translated into 704 languages. The New Testament has been translated into 1,551 languages and parts of the Bible have been translated into 1,160 additional languages. 

https://www.biblica.com/resources/bible-faqs/how-many-different-languages-has-the-bible-been-translated-into/

The internet has helped greatly in spreading the Gospel across the globe but still lacks in many under privileged countries. The map below gives us a good idea of how much is still needed.

Internet density map
World connection density map (Source: Chris Harrison)

Friend, once the Holy Spirit is removed at the Rapture, His influence will go back to the Old Testament way for His work. He will work through the 144,000 men of Israel who are sealed (Rev. 7:4) and the two witnesses (Rev 11:3). Their ministry will save many but more will die. Zechariah 13:8 tells us that two thirds of the population will die during the Tribulation. Praise the Lord that the church will be removed prior to this! Be encouraged my friend! Don’t be dismayed. A true shepherd would not lead his sheep to the slaughter but he would take care of them and remove them from harm’s way. So is our Shepherd going to remove His sheep, the church, before the hour of testing to come upon the entire earth.

Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

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