THE JEW WHO KNEW – Famine in the Land
July 14, 2020
Averine Pennington
I was in my prayer time this morning and was just thanking the Lord for giving me the words that I have posted already this week on 444prophecynews. I was praising Him for all the responses and hoping that He had been glorified by the things I had written. You see, the Lord told me earlier this year that the word “WRITE” would be the focus word for my life in the year 2020. At the time, I felt a bit like Sarah hiding in the doorway with her little laugh. Like, yeah, that’s gonna happen! My thoughts were . . . “What am I going to write?” and “Who in the world would read it?” I had not yet discovered this wonderful site that by God’s grace has been provided by Jonathan, allowing writer’s like myself a platform to share what the Lord gives us for His people. Anyway, so today I asked, “What’s next, Lord?” Little did I know our Lord has a few more stories he wants me to write. He started laying out the details in my spirit. I had to scrounge around for a scrap of paper to write it all down on. By the time He was finished, He had given me three entirely different topics that He would like me to write about for His bride. I wondered why so many and He placed on my heart the fact that time is short and soon there will be no way to get these words out. One topic He has given me will be very difficult to write about and will require much study on my part. Please pray for me as I go forth in obedience that our Lord will give me just the right words to say that His bride will be edified and His name will be magnified.
The following is the first installment:
My husband and I were attending a wonderful church back in the early 1980s in Corpus Christi, Texas. Our pastor was dynamic – a sold-out soul winner, and he believed in having revivals frequently. It was not unusual to have big-name evangelists or singers several times a year. But the special speaker our Lord wants me to tell you about was not one of those. He was simply the father of a church member who happened to be visiting his son. This godly man was probably in at least his seventies, possibly his eighties. Our pastor had asked him to share not only a sermon, but his testimony of coming to faith in Christ and his life as a Messianic Jew. I believe that was my first time to hear a message from a Messianic Jew. I had no idea what a treat I was in for.
My husband and I were good friends with the man’s son and daughter-in-law. Prior to the beginning of the service, our friend informed us that his dad had forgotten his Bible at their house. Rather than be late to the service by returning for the Bible, his father had assured them that all would be fine. He would not even accept the loan of someone else’s Bible. So, after the worship portion of the service, this elderly gentleman walks confidently forward to share his testimony and sermon. He apologizes for not having His Bible and then tells everyone to turn in their Bibles to such & such a passage. As we are all flipping pages, he begins to recite from memory the entire chapter, word for word, from God’s holy Word. We are all following along with him in awe. When he finishes that chapter and expounds upon it, he asks us to turn elsewhere in scripture, and he is off to the races again. That goes on for more than an hour with us flipping back and forth all over the Bible trying to keep up with his references. I don’t recall catching him in error even once. That man knew his Bible. There is no way for me to know for a fact, but I would not be surprised if he knew it from cover to cover. Amazement was an understatement!
The Lord brought this story to my remembrance this morning for a specific reason. Very soon, a time is coming when there will be a famine in the land. Not a famine of lack of food, but one of hearing the words of the Lord. We tend to take for granted our ability to have ready access to a Bible anytime we so desire. I haven’t checked lately but I’m sure between my husband and I, we have well over a dozen in our home. I used to purchase the small paperback Bibles in quantity to hand out with donations to the homeless, but I have depleted my supply. Alas, that is another sign of the times. Our local Christian bookstore has closed its doors, so it is not as easy to purchase them. I have also previously purchased them in the Dollar Store but last time I checked, I could not find a single one. I know, I am going to get comments that I can order them online, but I am 70 years old and somewhat technically challenged. Back in the day when I took a computer class, we still had key-punch cards.
Bride, we are coming into a season, when we must be prepared! We must put our armor on and keep it on. Yes, sleep in it! Don’t take it off for any reason! A very important piece of that armor is our sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. If we are depending on having a copy of the Bible in our hands when we go out to battle, we will be ill equipped to fight the enemy. If our hands are full, trying to hold onto our Bible so we can find the right scripture we need for any given moment, how are we then going to have enough hands to also hold our sword and our shield of faith? If we choose the Bible as our weapon of choice, what will we do when all the Bibles have been confiscated and put on the trash pile of history? The beast system is arising! With frightening speed! Do we honestly think that the Anti-Christ system will allow us to keep our Bibles? No! They don’t call it the New World Order for nothing! It will be out with the old and in with the new. A total reset! The enemy will attempt to take any means of self-defense from the hands of the general population. Even higher on the agenda will be to take away the spiritual weapons of those faithful to Jehovah God and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We must refuse to fall into the trap of the beast system. We must be courageous and fearless! If you start to feel afraid, have no doubt that is of the enemy, because God has not given us the spirit of fear. Rebuke that thought and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk in victory. I read somewhere recently that the Holy Spirit is spurred to action by the spoken Word of God. He is waiting for us to SPEAK it so He can do it! We must realize the authority that has been entrusted to us as children of God. If we do not appropriate that authority, then we are failing to walk in the fullness of God. God has not called us to be wimpy warriors but mighty men and women of valor in His army? Time to ARMOR UP! Be ready to draw our swords!
God has given warning after warning to His prophets, in no uncertain terms, that we must PREPARE. The most recent term in warnings given is to BRACE YOURSELVES! Would these warnings not indicate that the enemy is at the door? Are we going to wait until the enemy is within spittin’ distance (sorry for the southern jargon) to even start our preparations? There are many in the body of Christ that are still slumbering. Those who refuse to wake up NOW, while there is still a small window of time to prepare, will discover too late that they have been caught without their armor. I almost used another southern catch-phrase that included the word britches, but the Lord wouldn’t let me.
My brothers and sister in Christ, this admonition from the Lord today is to POLISH OUR SWORD! Be at the ready! I will confess that at my age, it is very difficult to memorize anything. I was determined to memorize Psalm 91 and it took me probably a couple of weeks, taking little bites everyday to accomplish my goal. I find myself woefully inept at wielding my sword, which brings me much frustration. I have begun to study the scripture by choosing a topical phrase (ex. ‘hold fast’). I look up all the scriptures relating to that phrase on Bible Gateway (computer concordance). I select the ones I want to learn, then I physically write each scripture in a journal that I can go back to again and again if necessary. I have found this method helps me retain the words better. So, I SEE it, I look it up within its context in the Bible, I SAY it several times, then I WRITE it. There are many different methods of memorization that you can research. Just find one that works for you.
We must do our best to hide God’s Word in our hearts. If we write it on the tablets of our heart it can not be taken from us. Even if we have trouble recalling the Word, the Holy Spirit will bring it to our remembrance when we need it. He is a faithful helper and friend and the best teacher I have ever had. God doesn’t expect us all to be like the man in my story above. That was most impressive, but God knows where each of us are in our walk with Him. The Jew who knew the Word of God so well had probably studied scripture throughout his lifetime. We do not have a lifetime. In truth, I believe boot camp is over and we could be called to active duty any day now. Be encouraged, bride! You have been trained by the best! God will not ask you to do anything that he has not equipped you to accomplish. I know that it is sometime difficult to keep our eyes focused on the prize knowing there is still much of the race to run. As we enter the final and most difficult stretch of our journey home, remember Who is with us . . . and all of Heaven is cheering us on!
Blessings to all,
Averine
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES (from KJV)
Amos 8:11-12
11) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
12) And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
Psalm 119:10-12
10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
12) Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me they statutes.
Ephesians 6:17
17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Colossians 3:16
16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Hebrews 4:12
12) For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
John 14:26-27
26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
2 Timothy 1:7-9
7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8) Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION (KJV): KING JAMES VERSION, public domain.
