Is it time?

Found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time: [but] they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto [that] shame; and [their] abominations were according as they loved. Hosea 9:10

One basket [had] very good figs, [even] like the figs [that are] first ripe: and the other basket [had] very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for [their] good. Jeremiah 24:2-5

Two examples of God using a fig tree to describe the Jewish people.

Matthew 24:32-34

32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth; this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Jeremiah 30:3
3 The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the LORD."
When did the Jews begin their return to Israel? 1949 they became a Country, recognized by the UN.

Zechariah 12:3
3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

The USA has always been a supporter of Israel. However we now have an administration who is more interested in apologizing to the middle east, and bowing down before them. We have opened up our nation to hamas (terrorist) as "refugees" and we are paying them to come and live here.

How about the third Temple
2 Thessalonians 2-4
4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

“During these days of intense pressure upon Israel to freeze all building and stifle all Jewish life in Judea, Samaria and parts of Jerusalem," says organizer Moshe Kahn, an attendee of the original Woodstock event in 1969, "it’s only fitting to respond with an event that brings tens of thousands of proud Jews together to gather strength and encouragement from one another and prepare for the struggle ahead. Music alone has the strength to accomplish that.”

“We are not coming just for an extraordinary night of music and Torah lectures,” says Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov of Tapuach, another organizer, “but rather to show that the Temple Mount is where it all begins. We are a sovereign Jewish nation, free to live and build wherever we want in our land, and especially on Judaism’s holiest site in the world. We demand our basic civil rights on the Temple Mount, and we want our message to be heard in Washington and around the world: We have returned to the hills of Shomron for eternity, and the Land of Israel is not for sale.”

“Yes to the hilltops and the Temple Mount, no to Capitol Hill and Washington,” Ben-Yaakov concluded. “We want G-d to look down on us and see us fulfilling His trust in us.”
(reported in Isrealnationnews)

There are several other "signs" It's not really my desire to talk about the End of times and when it will take place.

Matthew 24:34 This generation will not pass. Is 1949 the date of the return of Isreal? if so what is a generation? 70 years 100 years? is it the generation who returned in 1949? 70 years from 1949 is 2019.

My real question is this. If the Church REALLY thought Christ could return tomorrow would we be acting the way we do, would we live the same way? If you Really thought you may not be here tomorrow would you be worried about setting your tivo to record your favorite show, or would you be out pleading with your friends and family to accept Christ. Would you be worried about what was for dinner, or what the orphaned children had to eat. Or the widows. Christ said for what you do to them you do to me. You serve the Hungry, you actually serve Christ a meal!

Who are we serving? TODAY might be it. Where are your treasures?

If you are reading this and you have never had a relationship with Christ, He wants you to. Below is a prayer that if you pray will bring you to Him.

Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your Word is true. I believe and accept Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and have eternal life in the Name of Jesus Christ. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless and I am without hope. I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please, Jesus, forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart. Please, Lord Jesus, forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend. I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ." I thank you for adding my name into your Book of Life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

For us Christians, We need to be in prayer. For the Lost, Israel, OUR NATION that it will turn from its ways. For our Leaders and their salvation. For ourselves that we will turn from our own desires and seek HIM.

Non-negotiable

The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now. ~ Zig Ziglar

Jennifer and Chris has become my role models for budget keeping and sticking to their guns to get what they truly want. Chris' favorite mantra when talking to Mark and I about a budget is "non-negotiable"! If it's not in the budget, it ain't gonna happen.

That takes a lot of reprogramming of the brain! I want what I want and I want it now!!! I have come to the conclusion that I need to really figure out what I want and then decide just how far I'm going to go to get it. (yes, legally...) I (Mark and I) need to write concrete goals that show me where I am going. Then I need to write a concrete plan on how I am going to get there.

I find that I get upset because I can't buy the big things because I have sluffed away all the money on little things that are gratifying only for the moment. I have no back-up plan if the car goes ka-put, I have no way to fix something major if it needs to be fixed, I can't drive to Oklahoma in an emergency...unhappiness and anxiousness comes from not being able to take care of these things when I need to.

But do you know who I need to include in this??? GOD!

Lord, help me have the self-control to pursue the path which you have set before me. Allow me to have the focus and commitment to you and all that you have for me. Surround me with your protection for when the enemy comes to tempt me away from your ultimate plan, for I know that temptation is not from you. Continue to give me the strength to face the trials of learning how to change my brain, change my lifestyle, change my ideas about what I am doing. You are in charge and with you I can accomplish anything!

In Him, Friends,
LEH

Intercessory Prayer

Friday night at Focus, Tim brought a great topic about intercessory prayer. We all had a great discussion about what it is exactly, went to the Word to find the answer, and began to understand our need to pray for others.

What is intercessory prayer? (from http://www.gotquestions.org/intercessory-prayer.html)
Intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of others. The role of mediator in prayer was prevalent in the Old Testament, in the cases of Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Christ is pictured in the New Testament as the ultimate intercessor, and because of this, all Christian prayer becomes intercession since it is offered to God through and by Christ. Jesus closed the gap between us and God when He died on the cross. Because of Jesus’ mediation, we can now intercede in prayer on behalf of other Christians or for the lost, asking God to grant their requests according to His will. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
God calls all Christians to be intercessors. It is God’s desire that every believer be active in intercessory prayer. What a wonderful and exalted privilege we have in being able to come boldly before the throne of Almighty God with our prayers and requests!

We all are to pray for the blessings of others and for those who need. We are to pray for EVERYONE, (yes, including our leaders Tim!!!), and if we pray with full faith, then what we pray for will be given.

Keep praying!! It keeps us coneected. Not only with God, but with each other!
In Him,
LEH