"Many have lost the favourable presence of God and are not aware of it; they have provoked God to withdraw from them, but are not sensible of their loss, nor ever complain of it. Their souls languish and grow weak, their gifts wither, every thing goes cross with them; and yet they impute not this to the right cause: they are not aware that God has departed from them, nor are they in any care to reconcile themselves to Him or recover His favor. When God has departed, we cannot do as at other times." (Matthew Henry) "The degredation of character may go on quite unconsciously, and it is only when some crisis arises in a man's life that he becomes aware that his moral strength has departed from him." (Great Texts of the Bible)

In this world, you will encounter the "snare of the fowler"..."noisome pestilence"... "terror by night"... "arrow that flieth by day"..."destruction that wasteth at noonday"... and "valley of the shadow of death," yet you need never fear. How is that possible? In every experience of life, God offers you His keeping power. You have the guarantee of His power. He is making it available to you and operative in your life until the end of your earthly pilgrimage. But you must lay hold of it by faith.

In the olden days, a czar in Russia, was crazy enough to build a great palace upon the ice-blocks of the Neva River. When the spring came, and the foundations melted, the palace sank beneath the river. You may roll your eyes at this story, but you need to ask yourself - "Am I, like the Russian czar, building parts of my Christian life upon 'ice-blocks' not realizing that drastic 'changes' are coming upon the world? The "scornful men in Jerusalem" made "lies their refuge." But, what about you - when you "build your refuges on vain hopes, creatural affections, earthly possessions, or other false things"? (Alexander MacClaren) God promises that, if you will allow Him to "lay His foundation" in every area of your life, you will have no cause for alarm when the storms come...not be moved when troubles come...nor be filled with nervous apprehensions about the future of Christianity. Are you at that place yet? What have you not surrendered to Jesus?

"The text requires that having taken the field, we keep it. We may not retire to the ranks of those who refuse to fight; we must stand...We may be weak; but must stand. We may be weary; but must stand. We may be fearful; but must stand. We may be defeated in some single fight; but must stand. We may see others fall about us; but must stand. Many may desert our cause; but we must stand... Consternation may spread through the army of the Lord of hosts; but we must stand. It may seem as though all things were against us; but we must stand. The day of final triumph may seem long delayed...but we must stand..." (The Biblical Illustrator)

This is a true and timely "word" from God for the Body of

"It is a good maxim with which to go into a world of danger; a good maxim to go to sea with; a good maxim in a storm; a good maxim when in danger on the land; a good maxim when we are sick; a good maxim when we think of death and the judgment - What time I am afraid - I will trust in Thee." (Albert Barnes) There is a cry going forth in the world today. It is a "cry" coming from the hearts of mankind saying - "I am afraid." Fears are something that are common to all men. But it is how they react to their fears that makes the difference. Dr. Don Gommeson said it well - "Fear cannot hurt us if we treat it as an opportunity to trust in our God."

Are we living in "a day of trouble" as the Bible calls it? Look around at the world today. Look at what is happening in America. We see major corruption going on in the elections as the Globalists are working behind the scenes to bring us closer to the New World Order. President Obama continues to stealthily slip in thousands (1,000s) of Syrian refugees (Many of them could possibly be Muslim terrorists or jihadists). More and more mosques are cropping up everywhere - some even replacing Christian churches in our neighborhoods. The homosexuals - the LGBT - are attempting to force their agenda down our throats with their transgender bathroom issue. So, I ask you - are we living in "a day of trouble" as the Bible calls it? And, if so, what are you as a Christian going to do about it? How will you handle what is going on around you?

"We shall find, when we reach the end of life, that all which God has done, however dark and mysterious it may have appeared at the time, was so connected with our good as to make it a proper subject of praise and thanksgiving." (Barnes' Notes) How important is it that you "forget not His benefits"? Romans 1:21 offers the answer - "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." "Forgetting" is something we are all guilty of doing. Prayerfully, this message will stir you to "keep yourself from forgetfulness."

"So with all. In our backslidings, our afflictions, and our troubles, our only hope is that God will bring us back to Himself; our proper place is at the throne of mercy; our pleadings should be urgent, earnest, and constant, that He will interpose and have mercy on us; our solemn purpose - our expressed and recorded pledge - should be that if we are restored to God, we will wander no more." (Barnes' Notes) God must turn us, or we will not be turned - as an individual, church, or nation. He is giving you a "window" or "door" of opportunity. What will you do with it? How will you respond?

"...when we see the wicked indulging themselves in their lusts, and when, in consequence, doubts steal into our minds as to whether God takes any care of us, we should learn to satisfy ourselves with the consideration that God, Who hates and abhors all iniquity, will not permit them to pass unpunished, and although He bear with them for a time, He will at length ascend into the judgment seat, and show Himself an avenger, as He is the protector and defender of His people." (John Calvin) "Nothing is more constantly affirmed in the Scriptures than that God hates all forms of evil." (Barnes' Notes)