Thursday, July 8, 2010

To Be A Disciple

Luke 14:33 - In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

This is a verse I have never heard preached on in any church. I have heard taught "How to get everything that is yours in Jesus", "How to claim your rights in Jesus", "How to receive God's promises", but I have never heard this verse expounded on in any church. Today's doctrines are all about how to get what we want from God, not about how we need to be obeying God's commands. Luke 14:33 is one of His commands many of you will have to obey in the near future.

Giving up everything I had is something the Lord has required me to do twice in the past 28 years, in 1984 and in 2005. Was it something I wanted to do? Heck no!! But it was what the Lord required of me. Even now, everything I own will fit in the front seat of my truck. Am I happy about it? Absolutely not! All the precious memories, all the pictures, all the letters, all the mementos, everything that was dear to me I had to give up. Do I miss those things? Yes, I do. Did it hurt to lose them? Yes. But I have learned to be content (not happy, but content) without all those things.

In the near future many of you will be required to leave virtually everything behind when you have to flee the cities before God's judgment falls upon them. Many of you will have to flee in the face of persecution and to avoid death when the foreign armies are occupying this nation and indiscriminately killing people. Some of you along the Gulf Coast will have to flee before the destruction that is almost upon that part of the country. You will have to leave behind all your precious treasures and just take the bare essentials with you. I am telling you this ahead of time so that you can begin to ponder these things and mentally and spiritually prepare yourselves to be able to leave everything behind. If you truly want to be His disciple, you will have to give up everything. If you do not, you will be so burdened down that you will never make it to the places of refuge.

7 comments:

  1. Ah brother Cliff,
    You state the raw truth so plainly. We are all in this together. We will all be required to give up most of what we are used to as "everyday things", and they will go by the wayside.
    Currently we import everything from food to toilet paper. Even baby diapers are imported. Not to mention our fuel and medicine.
    When the nations that supply us with all our indulgences decide to cut us off; than people are going to have to learn to do without and improvise. Make diapers and use a rag instead of toilet paper. Women will return to the days before disposable feminine products.
    Heck even a hot shower may become a luxury. It actually is a luxury we now enjoy and take for granted. Same with the refrigerator.
    I hope people know how much life is about to change for everyone on the planet soon.
    Thanks brother for always delivering the truth no matter how much it hurts. ..... Steve

    ReplyDelete
  2. The hardest thing for me to let go would be all the pics of my family that I've accumulated over the years. Don't think I'd miss anything else, well, except my books. Wondering though, what do you consider the absolute essentials? Seems like one would need quite a bit when on the run, things like a blanket, water, bible of course, flashlight, canned food and can opener, emergency kit, hygeine products, and probably more. How does one make a decision on what's the most important? I've pondered this issue for a long time now. If I had to, guess I'd leave with only the clothes on my back with my 2 grown kids and just trust in God's provision. THAT is going to be tough!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cliff:

    I’ve been thinking about this subject for a long time. We here in the blessed USA have no idea what it is to do without. We are witnessing the birth and adulthood of an entire generation who don’t have the slightest concept of what it is our forefathers fought and died for. They take freedom and everything for granted – that’s why they are so ignorant and even eager to let “Obamination” and such new age politically correctedness take it all away. I myself am in mid-40’s, but I believe the Lord has opened my eyes to this spiritual insight.

    God has blesses this country beyond measure. But where “more is given, more is required,” and we fall far short on the accountability side. I’m saddened to say I don’t think the majority of Americans will “get it” until they’re under the barrel of a foreign assault weapon or actually forced to put down their I-Pod or X-Box and succumb under duress to do something they’re told for once.

    Lance

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, it's coming. So soon...SO SOON. We must all be ready to take only the bare essentials and RUN.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous (comment at the top), the Lord will lead you on what to take with you when the time comes. What I think may be essential and what the Lord thinks is essential are probably very, very different. Yes, the decision will be hard, but if the Lord is leading you there will be no doubt what you are to do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cliff, I am new here and to your writings...how will cities be able to maintain themselves as refuges if the country is overrun by Russian/Chinese armies? Seems to me that there would be no refuge at that point.

    Keep being a Watchman!

    Ward

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Ward, glad to have you aboard. The "cities" of refuge will actually be small towns and places that God is setting up in the wilderness. At first there may actually be cities that God sends people to to find sustenance, but after a while, because of persecution, He will lead many to places in the wilderness where they will find shelter and safety. That is the way I understand it at this point.

    ReplyDelete