I spent around 20 years away from the Lord. From age 20 to around 40. Although I'd heard the Gospel as a child and "said the prayer", I actually don't think I was saved at all. I never gave a thought to God or my actions. I never prayed. Never read the Bible. As I look back, those years were the worst years of my life. I did everything the world said would make me happy. Got an education, a high-paying job, got married, had kids, (got divorced) and then I partied my heart out. I did many things that bring me great shame when I think of them. It's amazing how much sin and debauchery one can fit into 20 years, and though I've been walking with the Lord now for over 25 years, my past still haunts me. God forgives us, but we still suffer consequences for our actions, though I do believe in His mercy, they aren't as severe as they could be. But you see during those 20 years, I raised kids in a very secular home, a very turbulent home with lots of change and instability. There was also one divorce, a series of boyfriends, and then another marriage that was very rocky. So, the consequences I face now are in the lives of my adult kids who are struggling so very much. There's a point to me sharing all this, so hang in there!
The devil comes at me every day with his crooked finger pointed my way saying "Shame, shame, shame on you. Look what you've done. Look at your kids and grandkids' lives. You've ruined them!" Yeah, he's pretty mean. But he's also a liar. Actually he's quite good at embellishing the truth. Because, the truth part is, I did some terrible things in my past that have hurt my kids and that I'm paying heavily for today in many ways.
But that's not the end of the story.
If you do a search for Locusts in the Bible, you'll quickly discover that locusts are like little demons who come into your life and eat up all the good things. In the natural, they ate up all the crops and produce of the land. In the spiritual, they eat up all the good things God wants to bless you with. In Joel and Revelation, locusts are described as a demonic army.
Locusts came and ate up the good things God wanted to give me during my wayward years. Because I was far from Him and was serving my self and the devil, all God's blessings, strength, joy, and help were stolen from me. But God has a promise in Scripture He keeps bringing me back to
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:25
You see, all those years I was away from Lord, every single moment will be restored to me in eternity. What does that mean practically? It means every tear I shed will be dried, every heartbreak healed, every disappointment a success, every failure a triumph, every sorrow turned to joy, every missed opportunity realized, every relationship completely restored to what it would have been...what it should have been. It means my kids and grandkids and my family will be with me throughout eternity. Our relationships will be restored and even better, they will grow deeper and more meaningful than I can imagine.
It means that career you always wanted but never quite achieved will be available to you. It means that talent God gave you but you never had time to use, you will use to its fullest extent. It means that dream you've always had will finally be fulfilled.
That's what God means by restoring the years the Locust ate.
Here's another string of verses that mean the same thing:
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs..
Isaiah 61:4-7
God isn't just talking about the Jews here. Read the first 3 verses of that chapter. It's the same thing Jesus quoted in the synagogue when He walked this Earth. He's talking about why He came to this place, what His purpose was and who He's going to bless. He's going to take away our shame and replace it with double honor! He's going to take all the ruins of our lives and even from past generations and rebuild them into something magnificent!
Our God is so much bigger than we can even imagine! This world is not our home. All the sorrows and mistakes and failures and all the unfulfilled dreams will all be fixed in eternity with Him. The enemy may have sent locusts to eat up your blessings, but God will have the final say!
I hope this blesses you!
These are beautiful words and they bless me! Thank you for sharing this! God is good!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog, LionBro! Good to see you here.
DeleteThank you, dear Sister. I needed this encouragement today.... God Bless you! 🙏
ReplyDeleteThe Lord knew that, Lorraine... that's why He told me what to write. :-) Blessings!
DeleteHello Sister in Christ,
ReplyDeleteVery touching story, but I feel relieved that you were able to eventually come back to God. This also encouraged and reassured me as well. Praise the Lord!
The main life experience that I formerly felt ashamed of was that I was one of the non-bright people - there are things that people would have been expected to know, but I was not like that, but that should not make me worthless or unbelonging in society.
For instance, I learned that making friends is an encouraging act to know those around you and develop relationships with. I have done that in ways that may have been unconventional and I admit I may have acted weird and strange. Nevertheless, since people showed me kindness, I did not suspect that my ways were any different. However, after a certain time, I suspected that they possibly disowned or betrayed me based on signs I have seen such as their conduct, body language, and as much I feel ashamed to say it, social media, which I used to be a regular user of. I know I had haters, and I totally would not doubt if they were responsible for causing the falling aways, but I still conceded that people disowned here and there, both in the high school and college days. This has bothered me for some time and while I have already known God then, my relationship with Him was not as strong then as it is now.
Now that God has transformed me to the point where I literally do not care for nor want anything in this world, I feel thankful that I now believe the past was God’s way of making me realize what this world is really like and will eventually become (implying the current evil) and also that most people are not who they appear to be. I know that God knows my limits, and if I actually still have such close friends now and constantly party, mingle, or engage in worldly activities with them, I would potentially forget about the Lord and possibly fall away from Him. In other words, I know God has prepared much better for me a long time ago and while it took a long time for me to finally understand His message and make peace with my past, I am thankful with how things are now for I have been praying daily for more than a decade and constantly looking up for Him to bring us home.
I know everyone has a tendency to act weird or strange and maybe unknowingly do things to at other people may not like or oppose, but using that as a basis for hate, resentment, judgment, and gossip that leads to undesirable outcomes, how would God think of this? I will never deny that I was dumb and immature back then, but doesn’t everyone grow and mature physically and mentally over time?
I still think about and dream of when other Brothers and Sisters in Heaven will smile, wave to, converse with, and embrace me and I feel like crying knowing that those are not possible here, but it will be soon per God’s promise, so maybe it is a final test of patience.
Thanks Sister for bearing with the story above, and before I conclude, there is something I would like to bring up. Regarding the 21-Point Plan, I read somewhere now that Israel reportedly agreed with it and may be starting implementing phases, and also since a large number of countries have supported it, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, India, France, Germany, Russia, UK, and even Hamas albeit reluctantly, could this really potentially be the Daniel Covenant? I have this hunch feeling it could be, but the main confirmation is the two words: SEVEN YEARS, which has not been publicly stated yet.
I remember in one of your past posts about Trump potentially visiting Israel in early December, which is after a possible separate visit by the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince to America in November, for a supposed signing ceremony, and in view of the progress of the peace plan, could that moment finally come (Rapture and Tribulation) within a couple months before the year ends? Will you be posting updates about the visits in a future Friday post?
Have a blessed week Sister and keep looking up! Peace and Blessings from a Brother in Christ.
Greetings dear brother. Thank you for sharing your story!! It sounds like out of His Great Love for you, the Lord has brought you through a series of lessons and tests to get you to the point where you love Him more than this world and you no longer care what others may think. Believe me, it's a hard lesson to learn. And yes, everyone acts weird sometimes. I'm one of the biggest weirdos! I was not popular in school. I was teased often. I know what it feels like to be on the outside looking in and wondering what's wrong with me. But like you, the Lord has made me realize that I am incredible valuable and wonderfully made... even all my weird quirks, etc. And yes, if you and I were popular and had tons of friends, we may not be as dedicated to the Lord! And I would never want that. I'd rather never have another friend than lose my relationship with Jesus. So be of good cheer!! You are incredibly valued and cherished!
DeleteAs far as Trump's plan,.. I'm keeping my eye on it. Seems Hamas is not willing to do some of the things Trump demanded. I do not know yet if it is the 7 year covenant. I don't think anyone can know that unless the Lord expressly tells them. I will be posting on Fridays whatever the Lord leads me to post.. I'm trying to stay open to His Holy Spirit and leading. So, we'll see!!
Blessings!
Good Morning Blessed Watchwoman of God,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the encouraging message! I read the story of the commenter above me and I must say that I can definitely relate for I have had false friends as well. The ironic thing is that some of them were from a Christian group where we praised the Lord during every session. I realized at some point that they acted as if they never knew me and did not even reach out to check on me or invite me to activities, similar to the experience of possibly disowned and rejected.
It seems as if those people learned that even though Jesus taught that we should love our neighbors, the only exception are those who look or behave like “losers,” and rather than supporting and confiding in them that they are appreciated, they would falsely treated them with kindness and then simply disappear when appropriate and let them later realize they were misled, judged, and deceived the whole time. Do you think this mindset would be very disapproving in God’s eyes? Nowhere in Scripture did I read that aside from evil, people should hate and resent (stealthily to avoid giving the true impression away) those who make mistakes or have flaws (based on their own sinful judgment of them) by feigning hospitality and later making others feel worse off than they were due to the deception. What are your thoughts?
I have learned to forgive and move on, but occasionally I feel tempted to recall those experiences, but per this post, God can restore us and make us forever happy in His presence and the company of countless other saints in Heaven.
Since tomorrow is the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas War, I find it very interesting and intriguing that a seemingly promising peace plan would come about two years later. As we have already seen with other signs, this should not be misinterpret as sincere, right? In other words, it is to mainly bring about more fulfillments that would eventually start the Tribulation, and most of the world think this is actually a good thing in terms of finally ending conflict in the Middle East. In view of this, it would be very dangerous for people to go about a lifestyle without knowing Jesus and His Word?
Stay strong in the Lord always and God Bless as we continue to wait for His appearing to take us home.
Greetings!! Yes, you can read my answer to the Brother above. I, too, suffered rejection in my life. I was shy and insecure and so desperate to be liked that I often acted like a moron! LOL But now, I can laugh about it and know that I'm God's moron and He loves me. Anyway, Christians, unfortunately, can be the worst in the way they treat others. Just because they claim the name of Jesus doesn't mean they have allowed Him to change their hearts. Their dismissal of you has NO bearing on your value and importance to God. He doesn't make junk. He makes masterpieces, of which you are one!
DeleteYes, the world and most of the church is asleep.. I'm always shocked that even in light of this peace plan and what's going on in Israel, most believers just yawn and say Jesus isn't coming back for years. Crazy.
Blessings to you!
Greetings Holy Messenger of God,
ReplyDeleteLike the previous commenters have noted, much gratitude for the encouraging message that God will wipe us clean and free from blemish if we continue to abide in and live for Him!
Regarding the word “locust,” it reminds me of a movie where a disgruntled librarian scolded his subordinate after she accidentally knocked down some shelves creating a mess: “Give me frogs, flies, locusts, anything but you! Compared to you, the Plagues were a joy!” The subordinate still remained calm and eventually cleaned up the mess. Anyway, I noticed that movies I have watched over the years have made Biblical references, even if they are completely non-religious. Would God be trying to communicate Biblical importance to people through movies?
Also I recall in Revelation that the Fifth Trumpet/First Woe will have demon locusts that will torture mankind for five months, along with the description that death will evade those who long for it due to the intense suffering. Would this be a supernatural event or would it be similar to the Plague in Egypt when actual locusts destroyed the crops and fields?
Per the posts from the previous Anonymous commenters, that made me think: per Revelation 3:15-16 where Jesus criticizes the lukewarm as “neither hot nor cold” and “I will spit you out of my mouth, do those Christian who mistreat people and are proud/unrepentant be considered lukewarm since their actions oppose God’s Word of loving others? One could only hope that they have mentally matured and realized the error of their ways, but what if they do not, especially when they may have forgotten whom they have offended, but God does not forget? Do you believe that the Tribulation or prior to that, the evil Digital ID and Chat Control 2.0 entities may finally make them realize that God will ensure insults and mistreatment of his children will not go unnoticed and unpunished, provided they do not repent?
I guess that it is pointless to be upset toward those who mistreat others, even if those are Christians, for if they do make it to Heaven to avoid the Tribulation, then they will automatically become loving and pure as if they were never cruel or heartless, so it would be wise to just forgive and let them be?
Blessings and Peace in Christ Jesus. Have a good night and look forward to reading your next post.
Greetings! People used to be more fluent in the Scriptures so references like you mentioned in movies were more clearly understood.. but I believe God will use anything to get people to pick up His Word and read it!! He even spoke through a Donkey to Balaam in the OT.! I tend to believe that the locusts of the 5th Trumpet are going to be far worse than real or natural locusts.. and quite possibly demon monsters... Glad I won't be here!
DeleteThe kind of person who claims to be a Christian but who treats their fellow believers with spite and scorn and even just rudeness does not have the love of God within them. That's what the Apostle John clearly states. So, at BEST, these people are lukewarm. At worst, they aren't even saved. We are to love each other. It's one of the most important commands, aside from Loving God. That doesn't mean we have to like everyone and be close friends, but we must treat everyone with love, care, concern, and respect.
Pray for these people. Pray that God gets their attention and brings them to repentance. Otherwise, it's quite possible they will be left behind.
Yes, absolutely. Forgive them all. Pray for them, and leave them in God's hands. Whether they make it to heaven or not, it's your job to forgive. Don't let what they did to you make you lose your peace and your blessing from God!
Blessings!!!
Yes, very good point! The locusts in Joel were sent by God.. and also the ones in Egypt. I know our modern church wants to only believe God is love, which He is, but He's also a judge and a parent, and like you said, He will do anything to get us to turn to Him.. even do us harm.
ReplyDeleteI have, indeed, been forgiven much! That's why I love Him so much. I owe Him everything.
Again.. you quoted one of my favorite Scriptures from Malachi!! Oh, How I long to be one of the Lord's precious jewels!
Blessings to you and yours!
I so enjoy reading your emails, they are so encouraging! This one particularly touched me as it seems to mirror my own story. I been with the Lord for 21 years now and am so blessed. But there are so many consequences from my years away from the Lord, living for me, especially for my children and grandchildren. Praying they will still be saved. Anyway, I also love your books, have always loved history and to put faith in there is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you, Jennifer! I knew there were others out there like me... with similar backgrounds and similar consequences... I'm so glad you were encouraged through the words the Lord gave me! Don't give up praying for your kids and grands!! God is the God of the impossible! And He saves our descendants! Also, thanks for your compliment on my books! Blessings!!
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