Whether it’s an increase in UFO sightings, the continuing devastation of COVID-19 or the impending Second Coming of Christ, end-times expert Michael Snyder says believers have absolutely no reason to fear anything that is happening in the world today.

The talk of socialism and communism, complete government control in America, also has many people quivering about the future. But the fact that these things are happening, Snyder says, indicates only one great thing for Christians—Jesus is returning soon.

“A lot of people say there’s only bad news, and yes, there is bad news out there,” Snyder told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “But it’s also good news because it means the return of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is drawing closer. And, we should long for that day as believers—we should be thankful—because that’s our home. That’s our final destination.

“The shakings are getting worse, and these things are going to shake people up to realize their need for God. I believe there is going to be the greatest harvest of souls in all of human history. As believers, we want to be part of that. And if you aren’t a believer, if you aren’t a Christian, if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, I would so strongly urge you to surrender to God, to give your life to Jesus Christ and to invite Jesus into your life to have your sins forgiven and be given eternal life. Then, you won’t have to fear death. If you aren’t a Christian, if you’ve rejected God, if you’ve turned your back on God, then you should fear the days ahead because they are going to be horrible.

“Once this life ends, you have no hope and no future—for eternity. So, the stakes are higher than I even have words to express. I would just encourage everyone out there to get right with God, take stock of where you are spiritually and, if you don’t know the Lord, invite Jesus into your life today because that is the only hope that you are going to have for these times we are moving in to.”

For more of Michael Snyder’s thoughts about the near future in America, listen to this entire episode of Greenelines podcast, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for more inspiring and relevant content like this.{eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

“What men build with their gifting, they destroy with their character.”

Jesus directs us to discern the fruit of a person’s life (Matt. 7:16). At 100 days, in a state of obvious cognitive decline, Joe Biden, who was a moderate, law and order, pro-life politician, has become the most liberal, radical president in U.S. history.

He has sent gas prices skyrocketing (grocery prices will soon follow) and aggressively pushed abortion, LGBTQ activism, illegal immigration (concealing and lying about the crisis), voting liberalization, massive taxation, spending chicanery, ending successful economic policies, bowing to Iran, $90 trillion Green New Deal and misled the nation on Georgia’s voter integrity initiative as “Jim Crow 2.”

Radical socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrated these disturbing developments declaring that he has “exceeded expectations for progressives” seeking to transform America.

Stay with me. I’m not being unkind but honest and hopeful multitudes will be jolted into the brutal reality of what’s going on.

Remembering Reagan

A few days ago I was privileged to have an almost 3-hour lunch with a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan. Imagine crafting a speech alongside “the Gipper” intended to convey a patriotic love for America and our legacy of freedom.

For those unfamiliar with the passion of the iconic statesman who was called the “Great Communicator,” recall Reagan’s respect for our great nation.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

“You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We’ll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into 1,000 years of darkness.”

It’s been said that you communicate what you know, but you impart who you are. Contrast the above with the inflammatory, suspicion-sowing statement from Biden following the Floyd verdict in Minneapolis.

Instead of seizing the opportunity to rightfully pay tribute to America, our system of justice and honor the outstanding work of the judge and jury in a fair trial celebrating due process and meticulous investigation envied by much of the world, Biden engaged in a shameful indictment of our nation insulting hundreds of millions of Americans. Former Speaker of the House and statesman, Newt Gingrich was stunned by his reckless rhetoric.

What Did Biden Say?

“It was murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the Vice President just referred to—the systemic racism that is a stain on our nation’s soul; the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans; the profound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that Black and brown Americans experience every single day. … tackle systemic misconduct in police departments, to restore trust between law enforcement and the people they are entrusted to serve and protect.”

These words were a slap in the face to millions of Americans as he trashed the United States of America before the entire world. This was something so reprehensible it stunned scores of onlookers. It was unprecedented and, in fact, never in our history has a sitting president blatantly insulted America as he did.

I was no fan of Obama but will credit him that while in office, he never directly lambasted the people of America, although he did make some dubious and nuanced statements at times. He was careful and measured with what he said in his esteemed position of president of the United States. Granted, since he’s left office, he’s made some provocative statements in engagement with Trump.

Millions were rightfully offended by Biden’s official White House address. This man with one sweeping statement included all of us in the “progressive” anti-America movement’s communication of the false and dangerous narrative of “systemic racism.” His remarks were unwarranted, unfair and absolutely untrue! In America, like in every nation, there are some people who have racist attitudes toward minorities and people of different skin color or ethnic backgrounds, but it is not true as Biden asserted that every part of America’s society is permeated with racism.

Who Did He Harm?

Joe Biden’s reckless assertions hurt America’s reputation in the eyes of a watching world. They adversely affect the upcoming generation as children and young people are impressionable and easily misled. And they give aggressive adversaries like China, Iran and Russia ammunition to further propagandize against us using Biden’s own words.

Even more specifically, Joe Biden’s remarks implicated:

— Every one of the 80,000 Americans serving and protecting us in law enforcement who are increasingly disrespected and demonized because Biden and race-baiters repeatedly communicate a false narrative that police are racists hunting down and wantonly killing unarmed Blacks in America. I heard a survey this week where those polled believe a thousand Black Americans are shot by police each year!

The facts (registered even in the leftist leaning Washington Post database) prove there is no widespread epidemic of “cop killers” amidst America’s 80,000 police. In 2019, 26 unarmed white Americans and 12 Black Americans were shot by police in the line of duty. In 2020, 24 unarmed whites and 18 Blacks were fatally shot out of 340 million Americans. How many were violent? Had knives and threatened officers? Resisted arrest? Were criminals, not “children,” and were crazed on drugs?

— Biden cast aspersions on every public servant in Congress, suggesting they are either unable or unwilling to work to eradicate racism when it’s identified.

— He also denigrated every single one of millions of upstanding American citizens who are not racist but committed to loving their neighbor, looking out for the welfare of others and respecting all people because they are created in the image of God and worthy of dignity and respect.

I’ve ministered for over 50 years and traveled throughout this great nation, residing in 10 different localities. In my experience, the overwhelming majority of people are not racist but respectful of others. I contribute nothing to racism or attitudes of white supremacy and personally resent anyone lecturing me to the contrary!

Respecting Office vs. Person

Proverbs 26:1 cautions about giving honor to those who are foolish rather than wise. I submit that what Biden did on the world stage after the Floyd verdict was not just foolish but disgraceful and dishonest. His uncalled for, derogatory remarks shaming America were unprecedented for a sitting president in the history of our republic.

Sometimes people say to us, “Trust me!” But trust isn’t given; it’s earned. The same is true with respect. Regarding the presidency, I always respect the office and pray daily for the person in that office (1 Tim.2:1-3), but exercising discernment, we should withhold respect for a person if their character is lacking, their conduct is unrighteous and their competence suspect.

When Biden stood at the podium, was he a puppet-like pawn of the leftist, anti-America progressive movement? In his diminished state of cognitive decline, is it possible he was clueless to the seriousness of what he was communicating before the entire global community?

Bring Us Together?

The man who stood before us 100 days ago and in his Inaugural speech said he was going to “unify” and “bring us together” is polarizing us horribly. He’s partnering with the radical Democrat progressives intent on replacing traditional America with a secular, socialistic system of centralized government control. The key to their strategy is to continue hammering a fallacious narrative of an evil, racist America that can only be rescued and rebuilt by following a savior-like Biden and his power-hungry socialist cohorts.

Dr. Ben Carson, devoted Christian and Cabinet member in the Trump administration, was so grieved by this episode that he pled for Biden and his colleagues to “stop driving stakes of division into everything!”

Tony Perkins, respected president of the Family Research Council, said while he continues to pray daily for Biden, he acknowledged that he will pray for this administration to be “confused” and in “conflict” while promoting such an unbiblical agenda.

I encourage you to read the commentary, “Should We Pray for Favor, Blessing and Success for the Biden Administration?”, to further equip you on this extremely important theme.

Here’s the Deal: While we remain steadfast in proclaiming the gospel and praying for God’s merciful intervention in these dark days, may all of us be unwavering in refuting deception and distancing ourselves from all that is unrighteous. “I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evil doers and refuse to sit with the wicked” (Ps. 26:4-5, NIV). {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Editor’s Note: If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-8255 or visit . You are not alone.

As the chaplain for Racine County in Wisconsin, Anthony Balistreri has seen a great deal of despair on the job when counseling individuals—either law enforcement officials or prisoners.

Whether it’s the thought of long-time incarceration, the COVID-19 virus or the rigors and perils of the job as a police officer, Balistreri has seen it all.

But what concerns Balistreri the most is the fear he encounters among young people—especially in Millennials, Generation X and Generation Z. Incredibly, he sees people who are making well over $100,000 a year in their jobs. These individuals are living with the stress and anxiety that has gripped the entire country over the past year and a half, and he’s developed a program to help them bring spiritual focus to their lives and to trust in the Lord.

“Suicide amongst law enforcement officers is at an all-time high,” Balistreri told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “There is a program that I’m just starting, mostly for young people. I’m talking to younger people, men and women, from age 18 to 30 every day.

“When COVID started, there was a lot of emotions, a lot of fear—a spirit of fear. The younger people kind of kept a stiff upper lip … but their whole concept of life was different.

“I look at their work ethic, what they’re doing, what they give up, what they’re changing for, both in and out of COVID, and how that relates to their spirituality. Most of them have physical trainers, so they can be accountable for their physical growth … But I’m setting up a spiritual trainer for them, so they can be accountable for their spiritual growth—to be accountable for the Word that they’re learning and how they are exercising that, how they are taking it to their family and their job and the community, how they’re spiritually growing according to the Word of God.”

For more on Anthony Balistreri’s incredible story of spiritual growth among young law enforcement officers, listen to this entire podcast here. Subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform to never miss engaging and inspiring content like this.{eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Sometimes God commands His people to do something we don’t feel we can accomplish. We find ourselves saying, “That’s impossible.”

I am not talking about giving up coffee and chocolate. I am talking about something that is so far beyond your ability that it truly is impossible. I recently had that experience, and it began to bother me.

After all, how can G-D command His people to do something that is impossible to accomplish, especially when you consider the repercussions of disobeying Him?

The verse in question is Leviticus 19:2 (TLV):

“Speak to all the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: You shall be kedoshim, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.”

Here we read G-D commanding Moses to command the children of Israel to be holy ones. Not just run-of-the-mill holy ones, they were to be holy as G-D is holy.

Think about that for a moment. G-D, who is perfect in holiness, was commanding His people to be holy as He is. This seems totally impossible on the surface, until we look a little deeper into the definition of holiness.

Holiness is not equal to righteousness. Holiness is not the same as being perfect. Holiness is being different or separate. Holiness is a word of comparison.

So, then, in order to understand the statement, “be holy or be different as I am different,” we need to understand a little about how G-D is holy or different. Not only as compared to you and I, but also as compared to the false gods of the peoples that G-D just finished telling Israel to be different from: the Egyptians and the Canaanites.

One difference is that all of the false gods expected those who served them to first do something for them, like making and offering a sacrifice. The false god would then respond by doing something for them. However, the G-D of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob first does something for His people and then asks them to serve Him.

Think about this: When Israel was in Egypt, G-D first delivered them, and then He asked them to obey His Torah. G-D spoke of this relationship order when He said, “I will be your G-D, and you will be My people.” This pattern is seen not only in the Tanakh or Old Testament, but we also find it in the Brit Chadasha or New testament. We see this in Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.”

With this difference in mind, when we think of being holy as G-D is holy, we should follow His example and serve people while they are still sinners. After all, G-D didn’t wait for you and I to offer ourselves to Him until after He offered Himself for us. Maybe this is what Yeshua had in mind when He answered the lawyer’s question about which is the greatest commandment in Matthew 22. Yeshua responded: “‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If we want to be holy as G-D is Holy, we have to be different as G-D is different. It isn’t enough that we just love G-D; we must also love people.

We need to love people by serving them before they earn our love, just as G-D did for us. Maybe being holy as G-D is holy isn’t impossible after all. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

What is God’s secret weapon? That was a question I had for Georgian Banov of Global Celebration. I’ve watched his ministry from a distance over the years and was in awe of what God has done through him as numerous and notable signs and wonders take place.

I was excited to have a conversation with Georgian for my podcast, Adventures in the Spirit with Jared Laskey. Georgian shared his personal testimony with my viewers and listeners of how he escaped communism in his home nation of Bulgaria. He was part of the first rock band in Bulgaria, but the government shut them down. Fearing for his life, Georgian made a plan for escape, and the U.S. had open arms.

“I made my way from Bulgaria all the way over to Hollywood, USA,” Georgian said. “On the streets of Hollywood, I encountered the Jesus People. They were very friendly, kind of weird … I thought they were on a new drug because they were so happy, saying ‘Jesus loves you’ … But it wasn’t a drug. It was Jesus.”

Hunger had been part of his life as regimes under communism are never well fed, and he had next to nothing when he first arrived in the United States. But the food from the Jesus People fed his body as the Scriptures began feeding his soul. And one night, he decided to give Jesus a chance.

“A thought came to my mind, to ask, ‘God, do you exist?’ And when I said that, something supernatural happened. I felt a canopy or blanket come over me. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. Everything became charged with knowing it was God. I remember falling in the dirt wanting to know all about it. That was my first encounter with the Lord.”

When I asked Georgian what God’s secret weapon is, he said, “Joy … we tend to treat joy as an extra. But joy is right there with love in the fruit of the Spirit. I saw God in full ecstasy of joy. And first of all, joy is a strength. We need joy in the good times and the hard times. Joy is essential, actually super essential. It disarms, disengages and paralyzes the demonic.”

Georgian stated, “In God’s presence is fullness of joy. I’ve seen it and experienced it … I’ve seen it in Sudan, the Congo and in places where terrorism takes place. Joy breaks through the darkness and is a weapon of the Spirit.”

Listen to this exciting conversation on Adventures in the Spirit with Jared Laskey. Don’t forget to subscribe and share it with your friends and receive the impartation Georgian blesses you with on this episode. It’s available on Apple, Spotify, Google, Charisma Podcast Network, YouTube and anywhere you listen to podcasts. {eoa}

Jared Laskey, ., M.A. in Christian Ministry, is the founder of Fireborn Ministries and host of the Adventures in the Spirit podcast. He lives to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jared loves teaching people how to hear God. He has recently published the Spirit-Empowered Journal, available on Amazon, and e-courses Entry Level Prophecy, The Last Days, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit and more on .

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

It is amazing to me how many times we read events in the Bible without knowing that those events or conversations are about the exact same topic or concept.

One often missed example is two conversations that Yeshua has. The first is a dialogue between Yeshua and the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, and the second is between Yeshua and the leper in Matthew 8. While on the surface these conversations may seem to be about two very different subjects, in truth, both are about the exact same topic.

Let’s take a closer look at these two discussions. In the first, the rich young man asks Yeshua, “Teacher, what good shall I do to have eternal life?” In the second, the leper asks, “Master, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

These questions or requests may at first sound very different, until we dig a little deeper and find that the leprosy we read about in the Bible is not the same as Hansen’s disease, which we call leprosy today. The leprosy of the Bible was an outward symptom of an inward problem. We only have to look at Miriam’s bout of leprosy in Numbers 12 when she rebelled against Moses to understand the correlation between the disease and sin.

Once we understand that biblical leprosy has to do with sin, we will see that the leper is asking the exact same question to Yeshua as the rich man, and this knowledge will dramatically change our insight of the whole conversation.

As we dig deeper into the Scriptures concerning lepers, our understanding of leprosy will grow clearer and so will our perception of the context of the leper’s request of Yeshua. According to Leviticus 13-14, when one had tza’arat (the Hebrew word for what is translated as leprosy). They were to be removed from the camp (or quarantined), and they would have to stay outside the camp.

The person with tza’arat could not just decide when they wanted to enter back into the camp. They first had to go to the priest and asked to be made or proclaimed clean. This is what we see happening in Matthew 8; the leper recognizes Yeshua’s priesthood and asks Him to make him clean. Unlike the rich man who asked Yeshua, “What shall I do?”, the leper understood that he couldn’t do anything in order to be made clean.

However, the conversation between the leper and Yeshua didn’t end with Yeshua speaking the words, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” Yeshua went on to command the leper two more things. Yeshua said, “See that you tell no one; but go show yourself to the kohen and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Because we don’t usually view the leper’s conversation through the same lens as the rich young ruler’s conversation, we miss out on one of Yeshua’s most powerful teachings concerning our redemption and how we should live as redeemed people.

Let’s look at the conversation again.

Step one: The man with leprosy comes to Yeshua and says, “Master, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” What a beautiful description of a repentant heart crying out to G-D with complete understanding that he was unclean and unable to make himself clean.

Step two: Yeshua responds, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” It is not G-D’s will that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.

Step three: “But go show yourself to the kohen and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” This is the part that people tend to miss because they don’t read the dialogue through the correct contextual lens. Yeshua tells the now clean man: Now that you are clean, go and obey the Torah by presenting yourself to a levitical priest and then offer a sacrifice.

This is the same message that we should be sharing with those who come to us asking how they can be made clean.

First: we tell them that we cannot make ourselves clean; our righteousness is as filthy rags.

Second: We must introduce them to the only one who can proclaim them as clean: Yeshua, our high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Third: (And this is where we usually drop the ball …) We must tell them now that they have been made clean, they need to adopt a lifestyle that follows G-D’s Torah or instructions—not to be made clean, but because we have been made clean.

The problem with the rich young ruler is he skipped steps one and two and tried to be clean based only upon step three. He was completely committed to keeping the commandments because, by doing so, he was trusting in his own ability and works.

He was unwilling to accept that in order to truly be made clean and have eternal life, he would have to submit to the priest (Yeshua) and then present his offering of himself.

Fourth: We must offer a sacrifice, as we read in Romans 12:1 (TLV):

“I urge you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy, acceptable to God—which is your spiritual service.“

In his very short conversation, in just a few sentences, Yeshua preached the message of salvation and deliverance that we should still be preaching today. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Life is a gift. We must design the life we want to live, and that design must become a daily focus.

We are sculpting our tomorrows, today.

And that is why I want to teach you how to punch your latter days in the face.

It is true that what we do today is seen tomorrow. How you live in the next three to four decades will show up in decades five or six.

Our latter years should be our golden years. Will we have challenges? Yes.

But we can design our lives to minimize the effects those challenges bring.

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10).

The following tips will save you some pain and provide you with wisdom:

1. Deal with your dark side. Everyone has dark thoughts. These thoughts are not by choice, and there are times we do not know the source.

Controlling our thoughts is the key to managing our lives. You never want to take action on thoughts like “run them off the road” or “punch them in the face.”

Some people turn from and divorce their wives to buy a sports car. Don’t do it!

Others fail to control their dark thoughts and, in one moment, ruin their entire lives.

“But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:20-24, ESV).

2. Minimize your problems. As a young man, the smallest things that went wrong made everything wrong. Trials and tests are a part of life, and we are never ready for trials or trauma. That is strange since the Bible tells us not to be surprised when tests show up.

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange happened to you” (1 Pet. 4:12, NLT).

We are good at making a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to handling challenges. Resist that.

Most of your fears never show up.

Here is a considerable tip : Llearn to minimize your problems and maximize your opportunities.

3. Know the reality of getting old is real. For years, I dreamed of being on the front porch in a rocker while watching the grandkids. I thought that was the ultimate life.

First, grandkids do not want you in a chair. They want you on the floor.

Second, getting old and having to sit in a rocking chair is not fun. The joy of a rocker only lasts a few minutes. That’s my personal estimation.

And getting older is cool, but we never project the condition of our body in our latter years — vertigo, brittle bones, arthritis and more.

Prepare to grow older. It’s going to happen.

Here is a tip : Growing older requires finesse and an astute attitude.

“The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair” (Prov. 20:29, ESV).

4. Stay true to your character. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Character is higher than intellect.”

People with great character don’t allow circumstances to determine their actions. A person of character will follow through, whereas others make excuses for their own bad choices.

Displaying good character is a hidden trait but vitally important.

Character is the person you are when no one is looking. A person with a strong character is faithful ;  their word is their bond.

Here is the tip :  People of good character do the right thing at their own expense, cost or pain.

Why? Because the right thing is always right.

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out” (Prov. 10:9).

5. Save your nerves for an emergency. Test and trials are real. Trauma is worse, and emergencies happen.

When we are young, anything outside of the normal is considered an emergency.

What is a real emergency?

I heard a story about a young man who damaged his father’s boat. The damage was over $4,200.

The young man said to the dad, “This is a big problem.”

The dad said, “What do you mean, son?”

The son said, “Well, I don’t have the money.”

The dad said, “Son, not having the money is never a problem. If money can solve it, it is not a real problem.”

How true is that? Smart dad for sure.

There is life, and emergencies do happen. A flat tire is not a true emergency unless you are responding to an emergency.

All surgeries are important. But all surgeries are not an emergency. You can recover from most surgeries.

The truth is we recover from most emergencies. Not every fear is real, and our worst nightmares rarely happen.

Do not miss this tip : Save your nerves for a real emergency.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matt. 6:34, NLT). {eoa}

For the rest of this article, visit .

Thomas McDaniels is a pastor and writer. He has written for and currently is a contributing writer for Fox News. He is also the founder of and the Longview Dream Center in Longview, Texas.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

If you are tired of defeat and being trampled underfoot, obeying these five commands that God gave Joshua will lead you to victory.

At that time, Moses had passed away and could not enter the promised land, but he had led God’s people to the border. Now, with a new leader named Joshua, the people of God were ready to finish the journey and enter the promised land. They only had to obey these five commands. As a result, they would receive a blessing for obeying each one. These are five steps to success.

If you take these same five steps, God will give you the same blessings that He gave the Israelites. Do not ignore these steps or let Satan rob you of your success, or your enemies will continue to oppress you as Israel’s enemies oppressed it. Prepare now to enter your promised land, and get ready to defeat your enemies by taking these five steps in obedience to God.

1. “Get up and cross over the Jordan—you and all this people—to the land that I am giving to the children of Israel” (Josh. 1:2b). In other words, rise up, get off your couch or wherever you are, and by faith get going. Move! God cannot guide you to your promised land until you start walking by faith. If you go in the wrong direction, He will direct your steps in the right direction. But get going.

Start crossing the roadblocks in your life. Begin climbing over the obstacles in front of you. When you take initiative to cross the turbulent rivers of your life, only then will you begin to transcend them to get beyond them. As a result, the blessing that God will give you is that no one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life (Josh. 1:5).

2. “Be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:6a). It is natural to feel weak and discouraged when you are in a state of wandering about. It is difficult to be on the outside, peering into the window of opportunity and wishing you could grasp it, but the giants in your life overwhelm you instead.

However, if you, by sheer will power and in obedience to God, take action with all the strength that you can muster and be courageous as you cross the Jordan of your life, God will empower you to seize the land He swore to your fathers to give you and those who rely on you as an inheritance (Josh. 1:7).

3. “Do not turn aside from it to the right or the left” (Josh. 1:7b). It is tempting to turn away from a fight with those who seem stronger than you. But “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b). God did not give you an out. He told you to face the mountain in your life, to climb over it, get around it, tunnel through it or, by faith, command it to move, for nothing is impossible for you (Matt. 17:20). Put on your boxing gloves of faith, and throw your enemy a punch from which he, she or it cannot recover. As a result, you will succeed wherever you go (Josh. 1:7b).

4. “This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night” (Josh. 1:8a). This is the key to winning every battle. Doing so empowers you to speak God’s word in faith. It is a common thing to put God’s word last in one’s schedule. If tiredness and busyness are common reasons for neglecting God’s word, then these are the reasons why your enemy defeats you, and why you have not crossed over the Jordan of your life nor entered the land God promised you. But when you constantly say no to excuses, God will empower you to act carefully and according to all that is written in His will. “For then you will make your way successful, and you will be wise” (Josh. 1:8b).

5. “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare food.'” (Josh. 1:11a). As a leader of those around you, it is your God-given mandate to pass through their midst and command them to gather whatever they need to sustain them for their journey to success. This requires foresight, planting and harvesting, saving, and planning the work and working the plan. Then you and those who depend on you can get to your destination while dealing wisely with your enemies along the way to keep them out of your way. As a result, “you will cross the Jordan to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess” (Josh. 1:11b).

But it takes commitment to obedience of all God’s commands, and also it takes an answer to God, similarly to the Hebrews’ reply to Joshua, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go” (Josh. 1:16). {eoa}

James F. Linzey studied church growth under C. Pete Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary, ministered under John on the Anaheim Vineyard’s Large Ministry Team, and is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

The Lord Jesus Christ was the most excellent motivator and example of living a purposeful life that the world has ever seen! Since He is the living Word of God, He lived by the Scriptures (John 1:1).

This is why all the greatest books on leadership and management operate with latent biblical principles, whether intentional or not.

The following seven principles are some of the primary ways Jesus empowered and released purpose:

1. He asked questions. Instead of just giving the answers to life’s questions, Jesus demonstrated that the best way to teach people was to ask them questions. He asked over 300 questions and answered only three (read Jesus is the Question by Martin B. Copenhaver). When we allow people to answer questions, it reveals how much they know. Asking questions is one the best ways to see what is really in people’s hearts. Asking questions brings people into the process of discovery that enables them to remember and learn better.

2. He had goals and objectives. If a person has no specific goals or outcomes, they will never know if they have succeeded or not. If a person has no vision or mission, they are clueless and have no idea what their final destination will be. In contrast, when Jesus began His ministry in Nazareth, the first thing He did was announce His vision statement, which was found in the prophet Isaiah’s words (Luke 4:18, Isa. 61:1-2). Furthermore, Jesus operated with objectives and goals, which enabled Him to fulfill His mission and vision with a daily understanding of what, when and how to function (Luke 13:32).

3. He invested his time with those who bore fruit. The Pareto principle teaches us that 80% of the work done is accomplished by only 20% of the people in any given church or organization. That being said, Jesus was wise and only invested most of His time with disciples, who bore much fruit, instead of with the crowds. (John 15:1-7 shows that He expects His followers to bear much fruit if they abide in Him.) Even though the Pareto theory was not yet written, Jesus knew that He would get the most results from pouring into a few rather than focusing on many. Although He ministered to the crowds, the gospels clearly show that He invested most of His time first with His 12 apostles and then the 70 disciples (Luke 9:1, Luke 10:1).

4. He confronted superficial religion. Jesus did not like superficial religion. He attacked religious leaders who misrepresented His Father’s heart (Matt. 23)! He insisted that religious leaders allow God to first cleanse the inner man before focusing on outward rituals and religion (Matt. 23:26, Mark 7:15). Jesus also taught that religious tradition often nullifies the word of God (Mark 7:13). Since He confronted superficial religion instead of placating it, He was able to raise powerful men of God who demonstrated the truth with powerful preaching replete with signs and wonders (Acts 3, Acts 6-7).

5. He confronted political power. When Jesus was with Pilate, He confessed that His primary purpose was to be recognized as the King (John 18:37). He was not afraid of offending those loyal to Caesar (which is the main reason why He was crucified). Jesus understood that people’s loyalty had to be shifted to another King (Himself) if a transformational change would occur. Furthermore, He told Pilate that the power of His kingdom did not emanate from Rome but from His Father (John 18:36). He did not say that His kingdom is not in this world, but that it was not of this world.

6. He was motivated by compassion. Jesus did not heal merely to demonstrate His lordship but because He was moved by compassion (Mark 1:41). He was great because He had empathy and a connection to the pain of those around Him (Heb. 4:15). Any leader without strong feelings of love for his people will not be motivated to serve and release them to greatness.

7. He was willing to die for His purpose. Life is not worth living if there is no transcendent purpose worth dying for! Jesus not only believed in His mission but was also willing to die to fulfill it (Heb. 12:2). Consequently, He instilled and inspired such passion in His followers that most of the original 12 apostles died a martyr’s death while preaching the gospel. Indeed, the seed of the early church was the blood of the first and second-century church. Even today, 2,000 years later, thousands of Christ-followers continue to die for the cause of Christ, which is the main reason why Christianity became the largest and most formidable movement in the history of the world!

(For more information on this subject, purchase The Jesus Principles.) {eoa}

Joseph Mattera’s teachings reach thousands of leaders and believers in more than 175 nations. His call is to influence leaders who lead nations. Numerous people in the church and marketplace have shifted their thinking and utilize his material to equip others and reach their communities. Any donation to Mattera Ministries International is an eternal investment that advances the Kingdom of God!

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Prominent personalities and powerful nations of the world are discussing plans to require so-called “vaccine passports” as a condition for travel and, possibly, to restrict entry to shopping and entertainment venues—even the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

China is actively lobbying the discredited World Health Organization (WHO) to develop COVID vaccine passports for all nations. The communist, hyperauthoritarian nation says it can adapt its dehumanizing “social credit scoring system,” which now covers 1.1 billion people, for such a worldwide effort in just a matter of weeks.

Slippery Slopes

This kind of medical authoritarianism by unelected bureaucrats or global cyber-monitors needs to be resisted in our nation before such unconstitutional ideas take root or spread. Once they get their foot in the door over medical records and “public safety,” what else could they control or influence? Online banking? Our ability to buy groceries to feed our families and gasoline or electricity to operate our cars? Even your ability to work or travel at all could be jeopardized.

You might recall the war on terror, following the 9/11 attacks, led to body scanners at airports and other indignities, including the NSA tracking your cell phone to learn and document your whereabouts and associates. What is to say your private health information would remain private and not used for nefarious purposes by crooks, governments or supposed health organizations?

Beware of Dictatorial Powers

Jesus predicted that many pseudo-christs and prophets will appear in the last days, when political mayhem, religious persecution and natural disasters (“famines, epidemics, and earthquakes”) become common (Matt. 24:4-14). Some of these false, religious characters will even manifest “great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (v. 24b).

John the Revelator tells of a pervasive satanic-initiated system that will control the economies and commerce of large sectors of the world during the Great Tribulation, at the end of human history (Rev. 13:16-17). I’m not suggesting the current COVID-19 crises, economic lockdowns and nearly mandated vaccines around the world are part of this final eschatological sequence, but I do suggest we can learn some contemporary lessons from the prophetic biblical narratives.

Two Beasts and a Devil

John describes two beastlike personalities who dominate during the last half of the seven-year, tribulation season of the last days, along with Satan, after he is cast out of heaven to earth. The first “beast” (Rev. 13:1-11) is later called the Antichrist and “lawless one” and is said to arise out of the “sea” of humanity, where he gains power as a persuasive political and military leader in the Mediterranean environments (Dan. 9-12). The second “beast” (13:11-18) is later called the false prophet (Rev. 16:13; 19:20 and 20:10). His authority and powers are not political but religious, as he points people to the first beast/Antichrist and deceives the masses to actually worship him as God, in those latter days.

John reveals these factoids about the false prophet in Revelation 13:13-15:

“He performs great signs, making fire come down: from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. He deceives those who dwell on the earth by the signs which he was granted to do in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by a sword and lived. He was allowed to give breath to the image of the [first] beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

These “lying wonders” are not unlike the miracles of the Egyptian magicians (Ex. 7:11-12) or Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9-12), both of whom used trickery to counterfeit examples of divine works. In scriptural context, Satan may empower the false prophet to imitate the miracles of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:1-13) who used fire from their mouths to devour their enemies in those same days of tribulation (v. 5).

This second beast will organize the world’s economy and commerce under the Antichrist’s control, according to the people’s social standing, substance or status. During this second half of the Tribulation, mere survival will almost be impossible without an identifying sign of political allegiance and religious submission:

“He causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one may buy or sell, except he who has the mark or the name of the [first] beast or the number of his name” (Rev. 13:16-17).

The Mark of the Beast

The Bible does not make clear just what the “mark” of the beast is like, which will be required on the recipient’s “right hand or on their foreheads.” Is it a logo-like image? Will it be visible to the naked eye or under a special light? Alternately, what about the “name of the beast or the number of his name” (Rev. 13:17b)?

Have you noticed that this much-discussed sign of the Antichrist is actually attributed to the false prophet (Rev. 13:11-18)? He was the other beast “from the earth” (v. 11) who performed deceptive signs and led the world into devil worship, according to Daniel (9:27; 11:31, 36-39); Jesus (Matt. 24:15) and Paul (2 Thess. 2:4).

The second beast (Rev. 13:11) was “allowed to give breath to the image of the [first] beast.” As a result, the second beast could wondrously speak, and he had the authority to cause “as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (v. 15).

Since neither the Hebrew nor Greek languages use a separate numerical system, the letters of their alphabets also carry numerical value. Verse 18 gives us some insight as to the “number” of the beast’s name: “It is the number of a man. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

Since verse 18 seems to indicate that the symbolic number of the beast is the sum of the numerical values of the letters of his actual name, this mysterious number—666—has led to wide and wild speculations. As commentator Warren Wiersbe has said, “If you work at it hard enough, almost any name will fit!”

Three Lessons for these Last Days

1. Discern and endure are keywords for these last days. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:4 to beware “that no one deceives you.” Then He proceeded to warn of religious deception, social and political upheavals, natural calamities, familial disloyalties along with religious hatred and lawlessness (Matt. 24:5-12). In the face of these great problems and deceptive personalities at the end of the age, we are to discern God’s will and ways as we endure to the end and persevere in spreading the gospel.

This word “endure” speaks of holding one’s ground in conflict, bearing up against adversity, while waiting calmly and courageously. Pastor Jack Hayford has said “enduring” is “not passive resignation to fate and mere patience, but the active, energetic resistance to defeat that allows calm and brave endurance.”

2. Determine, in advance, your own devoted allegiance to God and the kingdom of His Son. Pray for wisdom to know how to “[make] the most of the time, because the days are evil.” We are to be wise and seek to understand what the will of the Lord is in each setting and circumstance. (See Ephesians 5:15-17.)

3. Decide to lead others in repentance for their sins and then devotion to our Lord and returning King, while we yet have time and opportunity, for “he who converts the sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).

Soon, as we endure to the end, “the kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15b). {eoa}

Gary Curtis served in full-time ministry for 50 years, the last 27 years of which he was part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the Van Nuys’ California Foursquare church. Now retired, Gary continues to write a weekly blog at and frequent articles for digital and print platforms.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.