My warning message to friends/family Hi friends!

I've had something on my heart these past few days, which I feel led to share with y'all. You see, I've been thinking a lot about the imminence of the coming of the Lord Jesus for His bride! This is a very exciting prospect, but it also brings with it an extremely important reality to consider: the wrath of God is soon coming upon this earth as well. For those who know God are known by God, there is a blessed hope beyond compare! We will not have to suffer wrath, because our sins have been washed away in the precious blood of His Son! (1 Thess. 5:9) However, for those who think they know God but do not obey Him; for those who love the things of this world and want to do their own thing until it's time to turn in their "ticket" for the Glory Train (purchased with a special prayer they prayed once)...well, there is reason to fear. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Wow. This makes me ask myself, am I doing the will of my Father? Am I seeking Him continually and obeying His voice? Do I love Him with all of my heart? I'm not sure how to explain what God's been showing me this week, so I'll just pass along the Bible verses that have penetrated my soul, and share a bit about what these verses are saying to me. Mainly, I've been hit with the realization that JESUS COULD COME AT ANY MOMENT, and we must remain pure before him! "...But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." (1 Jn. 3:23) First of all, Jesus issues a very strong warning to us in Luke 21:34-36. He says, "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation [living for the pleasure], drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." Here's something to ponder: Are non-believers going to be praying to be counted worthy of escaping "all these things"? No, because they

don't have faith in God or believe his Word! Who is Jesus to talking to in this passage? His disciples! Jesus gave Christians an URGENT COMMAND that we should pray to be counted worthy of escaping the tribulation! Why? Perhaps it has something to do with keeping our hearts in the right place...making sure our treasure is in Heaven and not on Earth. Our hearts cannot be divided, or we will reap the consequences! "You cannot serve both God and money" (Matt. 6:24). Lot's wife reaped the consequences when she looked back upon Sodom. Although she had been chosen to be rescued from the judgment that was coming, her heart was found out when she couldn't help but look back at her city. God had warned Lot's family not to look back (or they would die), but she did not obey. Thus, she was punished along with Sodom: Luke 17:28-33 "...It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his lfe will preserve it." If we love God more than anything in this world, WE NEED NOT FEAR! But for those whose love is divided...well, each person's heart will be found out on That Day. I urge you all to search your hearts while there is still time! Hebrews 3:12-15 says, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we HOLD FIRMLY TILL THE END the confidence we had at first. As has been said, 'TODAY, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.' " May we all be counted worthy to escape "all these things" by having undivided hearts toward THE ONLY ONE who is worthy to be worshipped and obeyed!