Day: February 6, 2021

A Smooth Path: STILL MORE Thoughts

smooth path

“Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
–Psalm 91:9-12

Several pieces have been penned–several this week alone–concerning the smooth path provided believers by God.

  1.  Smooth Path
  2. A Smooth Path Revisited (found at the link)
  3. A Smooth Path: More Thoughts on God Easing the Way for Believers (found at the link)

All of this prompted FURTHER contemplation on the smooth path provided by God, and so, here are a few additional LAST THOUGHTS on God making the way straight before the believer.

1- Make no mistake: though the path IN THIS WORLD is made smooth by God Himself, the believer is PROMISED persecution and tribulation.

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
–2Timothy 3:12

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
–Acts 14:22

Persecution and tribulation appear to be the “price” one pays for eternal bliss.

BUT, God’s plan is to find a people who TRULY want to worship Him as God, so He can be a God to them.  And there is little doubt that a man who will suffer FOR GOD the PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT of persecution and the MENTAL DISCOMFORT of tribulation is 100% committed to Him and His purpose.

2- Regardless of the dozens of slings and arrows the world flings at him, the believer KNOWS that, each and every day, God demonstrates that the believer is His by ensuring that DOZENS of difficulties either GO AWAY or DO NOT OCCUR AT ALL.

This seems to be MORE-than-ample “compensation” for the suffering the believer MUST face.

3- A smooth path may be expected by the believer only: it is one of the “perks” of believing in God; in His Son, Jesus Christ;  in God’s Word.

Non-believers and others of the world can expect only the bumpy ride which has led some to label the earth as a “rock of woe” or “home to corpses.”

This does NOT mean that no good circumstances will not befall the non-believer.  Actually, the Bible even mentions it.

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
–Matthew 5:45

4- As the believer grows more accustomed to walking a path which has been made smooth FOR HIM, he learns to recognize the RARE bump he may encounter as a learning experiences; i.e., God is telling him SOMETHING.

Does his car not start after starting for MONTHS and MONTHS and not needing any repairs for MONTHS and MONTHS?

Perhaps there is a part which needs replaced and it is better to replace it now, rather than have it fail on a lonely stretch of highway.

God watches out and helps the believer–even though His assistance may occasionally look like a setback.

Is there a rare unexpected turn of events?

Perhaps the believer has been busy and God wants to hear from him.

Or remind him of his unusual circumstance in this life.

Whatever, these are VERY rare occurrences and it does not take long for the believer to learn that God not only watches out for him:

God also makes the path the believer walks a smooth one.

DOES the reader believe that any talk of God’s power is just “crazy talk?”

It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: February 5-7,2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

MORE

MORE

RELATED ARTICLES

by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image:  Image by jplenio from Pixabay.com

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-20. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

[NOTE: The following articles are from a service. We neither endorse nor at times have much control over them–although we do, of course, enjoy articles originating from this website on this service. Some articles illustrate points made in ETPR articles; some are merely for the reader’s edification or education.

ALL such links appearing in End Times Prophecy Headlines, such as those below, should originate at ETPR.

RE: our link disclaimer: there are links, from time-to-time which appear on this site which we neither approve nor endorse. The frequency of these types of links will no doubt grow worse. All effort is made to remove such links when we become aware of them.]

Related articles

A Smooth Path: More Thoughts on God Easing the Way for Those Who Believe

smooth path

“Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
–Psalm 91:9-12

Recently, we reproduced a post written about a year ago entitled A Smooth Path.

And, after running the post once more, there were a few who cleverly pointed out that IF one SEES the things God uses to smooth the believer’s path, then one does not need FAITH to believe in God’s power.

This is not only TRUE, it echoes what is written in Romans 8.

“For we are saved by hope (faith): but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”
–Romans 8:24

BUT, the believer ALREADY believes.

The believer already has FAITH–for one is not eternally saved without it.

And because the believer BELIEVES the Word of God, he does not have to see God’s power used to smooth his path.  He KNOWS God will do this as God has already declared it in His Word.

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
–Isaiah 55:11

So, to answer those who claim that because the believer SEES the power of God, he no longer has FAITH to believe the power of God: nonsense!

Besides the believer ALREADY believing and having faith, there is still some “connecting of the dots” to be done by the believer to attribute good outcomes to God smoothing the way for him and NOT to the usual beliefs of the world: good fortune, good luck or one’s own outstanding abilities.

IF one does NOT have faith, he will most likely NOT attribute any good outcomes in his life to God’s power.

Further, IF one does NOT have faith, he will dismiss the believer’s claim that God’s power was evidently the cause of a good outcome in the life of a believer.

A believer gets to walk a smooth path–putting aside the believer is promised persecution and tribulation–BECAUSE he is a believer.

And because the believer believes (and has faith), this does NOT invalidate God’s power to smooth his path in this world at times.

DOES the reader believe the Word of God?

DOES the reader believe that every word of the Word of God is TRUE?

It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: February 3, 2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

MORE

MORE

RELATED ARTICLES

by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: Image by jplenio from Pixabay.com

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-20. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

[NOTE: The following articles are from a service. We neither endorse nor at times have much control over them–although we do, of course, enjoy articles originating from this website on this service. Some articles illustrate points made in ETPR articles; some are merely for the reader’s edification or education.

ALL such links appearing in End Times Prophecy Headlines, such as those below, should originate at ETPR.

RE: our link disclaimer: there are links, from time-to-time which appear on this site which we neither approve nor endorse. The frequency of these types of links will no doubt grow worse. All effort is made to remove such links when we become aware of them.]

Related articles

From January 2020: A Smooth Path Revisited

smooth path

Sometimes, while preparing, one stumbles upon a fortuitous find.

And so it was that while preparing something about how God will pave the way for believers, something written almost EXACTLY a year ago was found: A Smooth Path.

After re-reading the piece, it was decided–since it touched upon all of the points desired–to reproduce the piece instead of just saying the same thing over again in a slightly different way.

A SMOOTH PATH

“Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
–Psalm 91:9-12

Because there are so few (Matthew 7:13-14) who are REALLY, TRULY saved, the majority of unsaved humanity have no point of reference for the power of God demonstrated in a person’s everyday life.

Oh, some–including the church folk–know the promises made in God’s Word.

But they do not really believe them.

One BIG reason for this is because they compare the promises God makes in the Bible with the events from their own powerless lives.

This is true of the workers of iniquity AND those who are merely ensnared in their deceptions.

But for the few, God is a constant presence in their lives, demonstrating His power in ways too many to number and making the path ahead a smooth one.

When that path does grow bumpy, the believer KNOWS that it will once again soon become smooth due to God’s power to make it smooth for those he loves.

NOW, a reminder may be in order that the true believer is NOT quick to judge either the words or the power of God.  When events do not APPEAR to be favorable, the believer knows that the long view is the best view.

Often, an event which APPEARED to be unfavorable when it happened turns out to be one which contains eventual blessings for the believer. Some of these can be known; some, cannot.

Some events which do not APPEAR to be favorable when they happen may contain blessings of which the believer is not even aware.

FOR EXAMPLE: The believer may get ready to go to town and start his car and head down the road.  After a few minutes driving, he remembers he left something back at his home.  When pondering this later of how it was that he forgot this necessity in the first place, it is necessary for the believer to realize he is NOT God.  He CANNOT see as God sees.  Perhaps his retreat to his home kept him out of the way of a person who would have crashed into him for some reason.

The believer does NOT know why this happened.  He only knows that God loves him and will make his path smooth.

It is this faith that God will deliver on His promises–perhaps not today but tomorrow–which gives the believer, not only a happy life, but also PEACE OF MIND.

The unsaved, the foolish and the wicked cannot enjoy the power of God because they either do not believe (based on their own limited experience) it exists OR they have placed their faith in something other than God (man, the schemes of man, government, money, Satan, familiar spirits, their own abilities, something) and are looking to THAT IN WHICH THEY HAVE PLACED THEIR FAITH for solutions to their problems.

Some promises of God are meant for the time after Jesus returns.

Some promises of God are made for the next life.

But some of those promises pertain to this life in the here-and-now.

And those promises involve making the path the believer walks a smooth one.

“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.”
–Job 5:17-23

[A few notes (made in 2021):

1- The topic of God’s power and its occurence in the believer’s everyday life was chosen because a number of emails were received this past week which contained the usual excuses for the lack of power among the church folk, who represent a vast ocean of the unsaved.  One missive was even titled (something to the effect of) “Why won’t Jesus heal me?”

2- Those who truly believe do NOT experience any shortage of God’s power in their everyday lives.  This does NOT mean that no difficulties ever befall them.  What it means is, any difficulties always seem to be very temporary and are very quickly resolved.

3- Difficulties in this life can be a VERY effective teacher. This leads the believer–when difficulties do arise–to look around at what God is trying to tell him. It also leads the believer into KNOWING that God’s power will be there to ensure that the difficulties–whatever and wherever they may be–are manageable and will be soon resolved.

4- The opening of this piece mentioned that finding this article from a year ago was fortuitous. Since there is No Such Thing As LUCK, it was decided that, rather than being sheer luck, it was another example of God smoothing the way for the believer.]

DOES the reader believe that God cares about His creation?

OR, does the reader believe that, when something good happens, he is the recipient of mere chance: a finder of good fortune found?

It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: February 1, 2021.]

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

MORE

MORE

RELATED ARTICLES

by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: Image by Lorraine Cormier from Pixabay.com

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-20. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.

[NOTE: The following articles are from a service. We neither endorse nor at times have much control over them–although we do, of course, enjoy articles originating from this website on this service. Some articles illustrate points made in ETPR articles; some are merely for the reader’s edification or education.

ALL such links appearing in End Times Prophecy Headlines, such as those below, should originate at ETPR.

RE: our link disclaimer: there are links, from time-to-time which appear on this site which we neither approve nor endorse. The frequency of these types of links will no doubt grow worse. All effort is made to remove such links when we become aware of them.]

Related articles
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