Bible Study | In Search Of The Signs
January 24, 2012 – 10:08 pmTo those of us who dedicate our lives to studying God’s Word, recent developments in the financial world have come as no surprise. As a matter of fact, many have anticipated it. One Christian financial consultant, whom I listened to on the radio regularly in the mid 1990′s, was the late Larry Burkett of Crown Financial Ministries.
Mr. Burkett talked about a financial earthquake that was coming. Mr. Burkett wasn’t a prophet; it wasn’t just that he foresaw this in prophecy, but being a financial expert, he saw how fast, not only our countries debt was exploding into uncharted territory, but also how personal debt, as well, was becoming a major problem for families to cope with.
That along with bible prophecy that declares the punishment for putting money before God, helped Mr. Burkett see that our financial future, as a nation, was not bright. There was a dark day coming that would affect a lot of people financially.
That day has come. Although Mr. Burkett is no longer with us, those who heeded his message to get himself out of debt to protect them against this financial earthquake, have much gratitude for Mr. Burkett and his message to them. Mr. Burkett was a great example of someone who takes biblical principles and applies them to their everyday life. It prepares you for what’s around the corner; even if you are not quite sure what it is that’s there.
Many people spend hundreds of dollars a year in trying to determine what the future holds. Unfortunately, many of those are seeking out astrologers for the answers. We are clearly told by God in the Bible to stay away from this evil (see Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:10, 2 Kings 17:17, 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Chronicles 33:6, Acts 19:18-20).
We are told in 1 Chronicles 10:13 what happened to King Saul when he disobeyed God and consulted with a medium (astrologer) for direction. It reads, “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance (bold mine).”
The Bible is made up of one-third prophecy. Since there is so much prophecy in the Bible, there is good reason to believe that God certainly wants us to know and understand these things. In order to do so, we need to dedicate time in searching out understanding of these prophecies.
Many wonder why God would make prophecy so difficult to understand. The reason is that God wants you to seek Him. It is only in seeking Him with a dedicated heart that the understanding of these truths will be opened up to you. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).”
There are three actions here that we must perform in order to receive. The first is “ask”, the second is “seek”, and the third is “knock”. These three actions are symbolic to us dedicating ourselves to knowing and understanding these biblical truths. When we do put forth an effort to know God, He does not disappoint.
How do we ask, seek, and knock? Through prayer, meditation, and studying your Bible. These are the main activities or actions that we should be performing in seeking God. This develops a relationship with God that cannot be formed any other way. Through daily performance of these activities God will make Himself known to us and we will see answered prayer, miracles, and understanding develop in our lives.
The next course of action we should be performing is getting ourselves into a Bible based church and becoming a part of the church family. God uses the church, as well as, other ministries, as a vehicle to bring knowledge to those who are seeking Him. If you have yourself in a good Bible based church you should be getting spiritually fed by your pastor’s sermons.
Most churches today have small groups in which brothers and sisters meet together regularly and support, pray, and edify each other. This is the fruit of becoming part of the church family. There are also Bible studies that are usually led by leadership of the church. If you are going to a church that does not have these extracurricular activities, it might be time to find yourself another church.
Next to your own personal Bible study, your local church should be your number one vehicle for God to utilize to bring you knowledge and understanding. There is also a treasure trove of Christian books, television, radio, and Internet ministries that can also be a great source of information and learning. But be extremely careful, there are many products and ministries out there, which claim to be Christian, but are dangerous and misleading.
In Acts 17:11; we are told of the Berean’s when receiving a word from sources other than the Scriptures, they would then take that information and compare it to the Scriptures in order to assure that it is true.
The Berean’s were diligent in the search for true knowledge and understanding, and careful to assuring what they were learning was based on the word of God. If you are just beginning your journey in seeking godly knowledge and understanding, do not let yourself become discouraged if the process starts out slow and confusing.
There is a spiritual element out there that doesn’t want you to progress in your knowledge of the Word of God. But hold fast to your diligence and you will overcome any obstacles Satan or his demonic forces may put in your way. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).”
I am now starting a Bible based study of the state of our world at the present time and how it relates to Scripture and what Scripture says about the end time. Many do not realize how much of what is happening today in our world is no coincidence to what the prophets of old have prophesied in the Bible many, many years ago.
For more information on my new series “In Search of the Signs”, please bookmark this page and watch for the next installment. You will be amazed at how many biblical signs point to many things going on in our world today.
May God Bless…
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Tags: Bible prophecy, Plain Bible Truth, worldwide financial crisis
