Are you trusting the rope?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Where are the dinosaurs?
Years ago, while traveling down Highway 23 in eastern Kentucky, we would pass by a beautiful brick church. It was in an ideal location.
The church was closed and the windows were broken out, there had not been services there for many years.
I pondered one day -- wonder what happened to that church? Why is it closed, and the windows
broken out and the weeds all growing around?
On one trip, I pondered this aloud? My oldest son, then 9 or 10, said, I know Dad, I know why it is vacant?
I said, well OK, tell me?
He replied, LOOK THE GRAVE YARD IS FULL ALL AROUND THE CHURCH, ALL THEIR MEMBERS DIED! They never reached out to the next generation?
My heart was broken, for there was probably an element of truth to this lesson? God help me to reach and intercede for others!
I am pondering about how serious the day in which we
live could be?
I am pondering how easy it is to be satisfied with
substitutes.
We can doctor the symptom, and the disease still kill?
It is a beautiful thing to see the flag waving in
the yards and on the cars all around us.
We have sought the heart of God for the renewing of
this nation.
We cannot substitute patriotism for the cross.
Sincere Christianity and true patriotism have much in
common.
We need both, but the priority must be on the cross.
Patriotism consist not just in waving the flag, but
in striving that our country shall be righteous, as
well as strong.
Righteousness exalts a nation!
If we don’t stand for something,
we shall fall for anything.
It could be a great danger, in the perilous times
that we live, to substitute patriotism for
Christianity.
Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Psalms 20:7.
MANY ARE TRUSTING THE ROPE? (unknown)
They tell the story of a mountain climber, who
desired to conquer the Aconcagua Mountain in
Argentina, near the Chilean border.
The Aconcagua Mountain is the highest mountain in
the Andes, and the highest mountain in the western
hemisphere.
This man initiated his climb after years of
preparation.
This man decided he would climb this mountain all by
himself for he wanted all the glory to himself.
He knew better, so against all advice he went up
alone.
He started climbing and soon it was getting
later ... and later.
He did not prepare for camping, but decided to keep
on climbing higher and higher.
Then it got dark ... night fell with a great
heaviness at a very high altitude.
Visibility was zero.
Everything was black.
There was no moon, and the stars were covered by
clouds.
He had no sense of direction, alone and no direction?
As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from
the top, he slipped and fell.
Falling rapidly he could only see blotches of
darkness that passed.
He felt a terrible sensation of being sucked in by
gravity.
He kept falling ...
and in those anguishing moments good and bad
memories passed through his mind.
He thought certainly he would die.
But then he felt a jolt that almost tore him in
half.
Like any good mountain climber, he had safely staked
himself with a long rope tied to his waist.
In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air
he had no other choice but to shout,
"HELP ME, GOD! HELP ME!"
All of a sudden he heard a deep voice from
heaven:
"What do you want me to do?"
"SAVE ME!" He replied.
God answered, "Do you REALLY think that I can save
you?"
"OF COURSE, MY GOD, you can do anything."
The man heard a voice,
"Then cut the rope that is holding you up."
There was another moment of silence and stillness.
The man just held tighter to the rope.
The next morning the rescue team said that they
found a frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to
a rope ... TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND.
It is so easy in a time of crisis to trust in ropes, chariots, and horses, but God has a plan.
Will we trust God’s plan?
Nothing can happen to you that you and God cannot
handle.
Today we trust in many counselors,
we have professional, polished counselors,
but where is the counsel of the Lord?
Where is the altar?
We are thankful for counsel.
The Bible records in
Proverbs 11: 14 Where no counsel is, there the
people fall: but in the multitude of counselors
there is safety.
We also must heed the warning from:
2 Chron. 32:8, With him is the arm of the flesh;
but with us is the Lord our God to help us and fight
our battles.
9. And the people rested themselves upon the words
of Hezekiah.
There is rest in trusting the plan of God.
We can have many false trusts.
Good weapons and trained soldiers are not
always the answer.
Financial security is not secure? Social security
and social justice does not always prevail.
Jeremiah warned us,
Jer.17:5 Thus saith the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord.
How about you?
How trusting are you in that rope?
Why don’t you let it go?
God is calling His People to humble themselves,
to pray, to turn from their wicked ways.
God will... The question is will we?
How sad is the verse:
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them,
that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap
before me for the land, that I should not destroy it:
but I found none.
We need this nation to hear the call to stand in the hedge for God.
Many stand for the doctrine of prosperity,
divine health but the Father’s real plan is
that the SOUL PROSPER, 3 John 2.
I do not think God’s people are exempt from problems and trials.
Every great man of God had a TEST OF FAITH.
I do trust God’s hedge helps us through problems.
The Faith Test teaches stamina and patience through
the suffering, and learning to be submissive.
The absence of problems does not bring peace, the presence of God brings peace.
We polish our worship and praise.
We call for committees and commissioned studies.
WE NEED THE ALTAR BACK IN THE CENTER OF THE CHURCH AND THE CENTER OF THE HOME.
Prayer can accomplish more than what man can dream.
There appears to be a calling or a role to stand in the gap, intercession for others.
We need deacons, Sunday School teachers, youth
leaders to moved in the programs,
but we need more than that.
We must have people arise in the office of intercession for the lost, the hurt, and the dying.
We need people to arise to the high calling of intercessor.
Hell is real.
Our nation cries out.
We need people to grab the horns of the altar until
God moves.
WHAT WE GAIN BY INTERCESSION --- WE KEEP BY INTERCESSION!
The death angel visited the camp of God. 14,700 people die in one day.
A man named Korah had no fear of God or God’s man,
and trouble was growing rampant.
The judgment of God was released, death abounded.
Aaron grabbed the censer and ran and stopped the judgment.
What if Aaron had not stood in the gap?
Numbers 16:48 and Aaron stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Will you run for the lost?
Exodus 32:32 Moses learned to stand in the gap.
Moses made a serious commitment not knowing the
answer.
God if you will not forgive them, blot me out also.
Wow! God raise intercessors for this day.
Moses’ sister Miriam was sick and was going to die.
Miriam ran her mouth in discouragement.
Moses begged God, HEAL HER NOW, I beg you.
Num. 12:13. God allowed Miriam 7 days outside the
camp, but she was healed because Moses interceded in
prayer.
2 Sam. 24:18, 24 ---25, David’s age knew of gap standers, someone needs to pick up the censor and run between people and God.
Araunah offered to give the land as an offering to
stay the judgment coming. David said he refused to
offer God something with no cost.
Intercession worked.
Number 22:29 -- 30, it appears a donkey was smarter than the preacher and stood in the gap.
The preacher would have died, but thank God for a
smart donkey.
2 Kings 20: 1--3 It appears that Hezekiah set his face to the wall and interceded the gap for himself, 15 more years for the right attitude.
John 1:40, Andrew appears to be a bringer, a gap stander.
Will you enlist as an intercessor?
Intercessors receive little applause?
This is not an upfront glory position?
The church will go extinct without intercession
active in our closets.
I agree that we are not exempt from the attacks and problems of this world.
I disagree with the preachers that have picked what
day and how they are going to die and until then the
airplanes will be a sign of God’s blessings.
All will face three SOLEMN DAYS, no matter how close to God we choose to live:
1. Solemn day of sickness
2. Solemn day of death
3. Solemn day of judgment.
It will be too late to intercede after the fact.
As I understand there are clear benefits to serving God.
Malachi 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your grounds ... 12. And all nations shall call you blessed...
Thank God for the rope, but our trust is in the Lord God.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; in Him will I trust: my Shield, my High
Tower, my Reuge, my Savior ...
2 Sam. 22:2.
God help us bring others to you!
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
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