Good morning, siestas. Today is the day my Curtis comes home and I want to thank you for praying for us. I know he had a very powerful experience in India and I can’t wait to hear all the details. I’m sure he will want to share his experience with you, too. Jackson and I did great. We had one 48 hour stretch that was pretty tough, but other than that we did better than I thought we would. God was faithful to meet our needs every day.
I also want to share something that I wrote yesterday. Up until a few days ago we were one of the families with a missing loved one from the Galveston area. Praise God, our loved one has been found. Then I had a dream two nights ago that I was one of the people who didn’t evacuate the island in time for Hurricane Ike and it was so upsetting. God used those things to burn this on my heart.
The National Weather Center issued the stern warning to those living on the coast: “Those living in one or two-story single family homes must evacuate or face certain death.” It was debated whether the wording was too dramatic. For some, maybe it was, but the words were sadly appropriate for what may amount to hundreds of others. Unbelievably large numbers of people did not heed the warning. They wanted to stay with their homes and be able to protect their belongings after the storm. What they didn’t consider was that there would be nothing left to save, regardless of their presence. The hurricane would not make landfall until Saturday, but they didn’t plan on the storm surge reaching the coast as early as Friday afternoon. With the sun still shining, the gulf waters began overtaking Bolivar Peninsula, making a last minute evacuation impossible for hundreds of people. They drank in the sight of water covering the roadways and were forced to swallow the bitter pills of regret and dread. They called for help, but only a fraction could be rescued before the winds became too strong for the helicopters. They called their loved ones and said, “I made a mistake. I’m really in trouble here.” They were helpless. And their loved ones are left traumatized. Emergency operators would receive countless calls for help during the storm. They would not be able to offer any hope. It was too late. In complete and utter darkness, people were swept to sea in their own homes. Their broken, swollen bodies are currently being recovered all along the coast amid debris, alligators, water moccasins, and swarms of mosquitoes. The Houston Chronicle reports that hundreds of people are unaccounted for. You can go to their web site and search the names and faces of missing fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, sons and daughters. It is horrifying.
In the midst of this, while many in this region remain mercifully unaware due to lack of power and/or cable TV, our country is on the verge of financial disaster. And while the coast is still cleaning up, we will elect a new president and proceed to change administrations in the middle of a war. Simply put, it is all very scary.
People, look around and see that the storm surge of Hell is rising around us. It is lapping at the Sea Wall. It is beginning to flood the only road off the island. We stand on the decks of our fancy beach homes built on sand and watch the water rising, submerging the pillars we trusted to keep us safe. We’ve already been warned of disaster. Scripture says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Our sin – the thing inside us that makes us do wrong – has earned us spiritual death, an eternity apart from God. Indeed, an eternity in hell. The hell on earth around us now is only a shadow of what is to come when we will reap the terrible harvest of the sin we sowed on this earth. It is a dire message. A terrible thing to have to hear. But true.
My friends, the good news is that we still have time to call the Emergency Operator and ask to be saved. While the Bible says that we deserve death, it also says “But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We can call upon Jesus to save us – from ourselves and from the unquenchable fire of hell that is eager to overtake us all. There is a way out, but there is only one way. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Call on Jesus.
“Therefore [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:25-26)
Jesus made a way for us to be saved when He came to earth and lived a perfect life. He was fully man and at the same time fully God. He was completely without sin. He laid down His life for us while we were still doing everything wrong and spitting in His face. He loved us that much. He was tortured, then nailed to a cross and died. On that cross He bore the wrath of God for all of humanity’s sin. He suffered and died in our place.
He was resurrected on the third day and appeared to many men. This is one of the most well documented facts in history. All of time revolves around His resurrection. At this moment He sits on a throne in Heaven next to God. He waits for us to call upon Him for salvation, to surrender our lives to Him, to put our hope and trust in Him. Romans 10:9-12 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'” He waits with open arms for the Saved, the Forgiven, the Rescued to enter into the splendor of an eternity with Him. There, the foundation is solid and there is no fear. There is only joy and the fulfillment of every need of your immortal soul in the presence of the One who created you.
Just like the hundreds of people who died needlessly when they did not heed the evacuation orders on the coast, we will suffer in hell needlessly if we do not take Jesus Christ up on His offer of salvation. What? You think you don’t deserve to be rescued? Well no one does. It is all by grace, no matter how “good” you seemed or how “bad” you were. What? You want to stay in your house and protect all that you’ve gathered for yourself on this earth? It will all be destroyed anyway. What? Your husband won’t go with you? You’d rather stay behind with him and ride it out? How foolish. Take your children and go. Call upon His name before it is too late.
Hurricane Hell is in the gulf. It is churning. It will certainly make landfall for each of us, but we are not given a forecast. We do not know when it will hit, but we do know that it brings with it “certain death.” Will we say the warning is too stern? Or will we call upon the Savior and be rescued?
Continue to fan the flame Amanda, exercise your gifting with boldness and conviction.Thank you writing what many of us fee
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)
Grace and Peace,
Kathleen
What a powerful writing. You have made it very clear and oh how I pray that those who are lost will heed this truth!
Yesterday a childhood friend of mine committed suicide. I do not know the details and I am only aware of certain few things in his life most recently that were legal problems.
I am very sad for this frined and his family and I do know that as a child he did make the decision to invite Christ into his heart. He is in Heaven with our Father.
One of my employee’s just this morning told me he had thought of suicide just in the past few days. I was horrified. He is in the process of adopting a child (a relative) that is Bipolar and at Kindergarten has been kicked out of school.
He thought suicide would mean he was done with it. He is not a Christian this and suicide would be true Hell for him.
Pray for both of these families I beg!
Please pass Amanda’s writing to all you are concerened about. Some minute it will be too late.
Amen Siesta! Thanks for sharing so powerfully!
So thankful Curtis made it home safely.
Dear Amanda,
That was truly outstanding and a much-needed reminder of what is at stake in our world today. May we never lose sight of the awesome love of our Savior, nor of the precious ones that still need to hear the Good News before it is too late.
Thank you for using your wonderful gift of writing to convey what He placed on your heart. You are a beautiful servant of our Lord.
I rejoice that your loved one has been found.
Blessings to you,
Susan
You GO Girl!! So very well said 🙂
Incredible post, Amanda. Thank you. Well-written and well-timed. My husband who works for an insurance company, is right now sitting in a conference room filled with many, devastating Hurricane Ike claims from people seeking relief to somehow rebuild and reestablish what they’ve lost.
But you are right, there is a greater storm rising; may we all heed the warnings.
Wow!! What powerful words. We are drowning in the Sea of Hell, even many of us that sit in the pews Sunday after Sunday. Thank you for not “watering” down your message to make it easier to swallow. That is absolutely a word that “pierces” straight to the marrow and the bone…
Timely & excellent word…thanks!!
Amanda,
What an amazing, straight forward post. There are so many of us that don’t want to say it like it is b/c we don’t want to offend someone. Now that is foolish!
Just like in Romans, Paul starts off writing the truth about God’s wrath but it is to encourage the Roman’s…that is how I take your post, as encouragement but also as a warning.
Be Blessed!
Good Word!! Thanks for sharing.
Amen Amanda! Sobering and powerful truth, dear one. Thank you for a needed wake-up call. Rejoicing with you in Curtis’ return and also that your loved one has now been accounted for. Continuing to pray for those and their families still missing.
Blessings,
Tracy
Amen and amen.
This post is especially touching to those of us who have just been through the hurricane, but it should speak to all. Scary times indeed.
Such a touching and authentic cry to the heart of God and the lost, Amanda.
My husband has shared with me that he last week that he had not heard any reports on the recovery of the dead, but witnessed first hand a crew of firefighters with a police escort going in to evacuate the dead while he worked in the streets restoring phone service.
He said he feared that they would not find many of those who were lost in the swamp land and marshes where the gators are. It breaks my heart.
Thanks for sending out a heart cry for the lost, and reminding us that in these troubling times we have a redeemer, a provider, a protector and a friend. He is our all in all.
Blessings.
Miss Amanda, that is a Word! I was convicted as a believer to stand strong and remember who my Rescuer is…The I AM! Glad Curtis is coming home today.
Thank you God for giving Amanda such wisdom to share these words with us.
Amanda – You just rock! This was hard core, I have to say. Reading some of the truths of Hurrican Ike, it scared me. I can’t think of suffering like that. But your illustration of how that is something we don’t like to face and how we are those people a lot of the time. As if, “We can handle this, or, I have a plan, GOD,” Let me tell you, thinking I can handle things is THE indication that I should hit my knees and thank GOD I don’t have to. I love him and I am learning so much everyday the truth of his “yoke being easy and how is load is light” I am starting to realize that when I feel like its heavy and hard, that’s my stupidity mixing in. Once I get rid of that, its light again.
This made me rededicate my life again. I am a sinner and I am in need of forgiveness. Jesus is the son of GOD, he came to save me/us from our sins and died and was buried and rose on the third day, according to the scriptures. I am forgiven and free and I have the unbelievable opportunity to share in a relationship with my father in heaven who knows what I need and loves me more than anything.
This is too wonderful for me.
WOW! Such an amazing and powerful metaphor!
Excellent Amanda. Bless you and your heart for sharing this most amazing gift and truth with us.
Love,
Fran
Well done! I was thinking the same thing when you talked about the storm in the first paragraph. There is an old hymn, which of course, no one sings anymore. Too convicting for most, I am sure. It goes like this:
Rescue the perishing,
care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity,
from sin and the grave:
Weep o’er the erring one,
Lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus,
mighty to save.
Chorus:
Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.
He is the Only One capable of saving! Praise Jesus, that there
is a Way!
I agree with you- Hell really is an eternity spent without God and with no way to reach Him. He is so merciful and so longsuffering, just as He said. He is Sovreign, Righteous, LORD. He is…
Thank you for printing a very clear and concise gospel message. You have done what was commanded to us, “Go and tell..” I am praying with you for the Holy Spirit of God to do a work in whoever reads what you just wrote.
I love you-
Lisa in Kirkland, WA
Good comments Amanda! And not too stern! I think it’s just a part of “Tough Love”! We sometimes have to give a stern warning when the consequences of not heeding are of life and death importance….and especially if it means ETERNAL life or death!
Marilyn
Wow! Thanks for the reminder we all need. Thanks for being willing to tell us the truth and not mince words.
Thank you, God, for the way out You’ve given us.
I just thought of something, and Amanda, you don’t have to print this: You wrote that yesterday, and yesterday was Rosh Hashanah: The festival of trumpets. 10 days in the Jewish history to get yourself straight with the LORD before Yom Kippur. The warning, the last chance, so to speak. Very timely dear friend. Does God not warn with trumpets? The festival yet to be fulfilled in Jesus Himself? He is so Merciful and so Gracious.
Oh Amanda what a post!
I’m so moved and sharing this Word with others!
God Bless you Girl!
Amanda,
Thank you so much for your post.
It is so wonderful to know that there are young people around who aren’t afraid to share their faith.
I was at the chiroprator’s office the other day and while I was waiting an 83 year old man shared the plan of salvation with me. I told him that I had belonged to Jesus for a long time but isn’t it
wonderful to know that this man was willing to share his faith with a total stranger.
God is still and will always be in control! Praise the Lord for that!
In Him,
Esabelle
YES Amanda!!!! Amen!
I could hear Rich Mullins singing “My Deliverer” in every line you wrote. He is standing by, to deliver us.
Thank-you for those powerful words.
Melana in Wyoming
Amanda,
God has given you a gift with your words. We know that our Redeemer lives and that someday SOON He is coming for us. But we need to let others know before it is eternally too late. Thank you for the wake up call, you put it so well. With your permission I too will share this with others so they can see that time is of the essence. We will continue to pray for the ones searching for loved ones and all who have to rebuild their lives.
God bless you
Sally J
amanda, i love it when you write!
Amanda,
WOW! – What a message – I really liked how you intertwined the reality of Ike with the reality of our sin – both in need of a Rescurer, both doomed to destruction. This should be posted on billboards across the country! (Especially in the South where we know about hurricanes!!!)
BEBE
Amen…our Lord and Savior lives…
Please remember to lift up the people who lost homes or had severe damage caused by Ike as well as those who are still looking for loved ones.
so glad you found your family member and hope that they are physically okay.
thanks for sharing that story too…i love when we can always draw back to Christ in our everyday sitations
AMEN! Siesta. This is exactly what I was thinking but was unable to put it into words. Many people wondered how I slept through Rita and Ike. ( I had to stay behind because of work)I know that if my life on earth is not spared I would wake up in heaven. No need to be staying up all night crying or partying like so many of my co-workers did.
AMEN!!! AMEN!!! AND AMEN!!!
You go girl. That was an awesome message. I am printing it out and passing it on as well!!!
I often wondered why people who live in a hurricane zone think they DON’T have to leave. Who appointed them God?? We are so blessed now days to have all the “warnings” whether for the weather or for life and still we ignore the warnings. Let’s not ignore the warnings…..Thank you Most High God for your warnings.
Blessings,
Bible Bunny in No MI
Amanda,
That was an amazing parallel and so well written! I plan to share it with others. Thank you for this post
What a passionate, clarion call to the choice that faces each one of us. Praise God for our redeemer and rescuer. May we boldly share His good work with those around us!
Amanda – like your mother, you are a woman of passion and conviction.
Keep on keeping on – pregnancy/toddlerhood mommy challenges and all….God has called and equipped you “for such a time as this!
Wow, very powerful analogy. Thanks for writing it and sharing. I will continue to pray for so many families facing the loss and disaster. What a tragedy. How many times we are warned, especially in the Bible and do not heed the warning.
Wendy
Oh, girlfriends, we can’t sound the alarm loud enough, can we?
Mercy is calling. Our Hero is ready and willing to resue “whosoever” will call on Him in whole-hearted belief.
Jesus. What a wonderful Name by which we must be saved!
Thank you, Amanda, for reminding us that there can be no shrinking back in fear or trepidation.
This is not a drill. This is as real as it gets.
Lord, have mercy on us all!
Beautifully written,
thank you.
Amanda, I’m so glad your loved one has been found! Living here in Houston, your post today was so REAL to me. What an amazing lesson you brought us today. God is working through you.
So glad your Curtis is home-yippee!
Girl! What a post! What an awesome reminder to not ignore the signs of the times. I’m going to print it out and pass it along. Thank you!
that was awesome!! thank you for sharing it!
You have me in tears and saying amen girl. BUT you also reminded me just how important it is for me to keep praying for those around me who don’t know Jesus and are still “riding out the storm”.
We’re looking forward to hearing about the India Trip!!
Blessings,
steph.
Wow…what a post, AJ. Thank you so much.
You know what is frightening to me as I read that? We, as Christians know the Rescuer, but so often we fail to point those being pulled under into that Sea of Hell to Him. Often we look so much like them they don’t think we have any better options than they, and we are so convicted by our sameness Satan shames us to silence.
Our own sin as Christians doesn’t condemn us to that drowning, but I wonder how many won’t go with us to the Rescuer because of it.
Praise God! He does still Rescue!
Cindy
http://mylifehisstory.blogspot.com/
Happy your husband is home and that your loved one was found. Just three words regarding the rest of your post. “Whoa!”, “Wow!”, and “Amen!”
Thanks Amanda for this post. I think this is one of the most powerful posts I have ever read of yours…
powerful, sad, but powerful . . .
Amanda,
Praise the Lord Curtis had an amazing experience in India:) We can hear more about his trip later??…YES, the Lord was with you:)…I didn’t know! I am glad you found your loved one!…Wow, I’d imagine dreams like that would be traumatic. But, the Lord gave you a word!
Love you Mrs. Amanda:)
katiegfromtennessee
2 Corinthians 1:9-11 (NKJV)
“Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.”
Thanks for being sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting to speak this timely word to us. I pray we all have ears to hear! God is moving and doing mighty things in this world. His love and grace are so clear in His warnings. I’ve been watching and listening carefully to things going on in other Countries too. We have a son, daughter in law and three of our little grandkids in Moscow. Things are pretty uncertain there with their government and leadership. That calls for a lot of Believing God from this Grandma Sue Sue!!!
I do believe God’s revelation could be sat in motion at any time! Let us be faithful to spread His Good News and “Look up” and be ready!
Sigh.
Truth.
This speaks.
Wow, what a powerful message, an excellent comparison! God has truly blessed you with the gift of writing, and blessed us in that we are touched for Him by you.
Amanda, Wow, powerful and totally from the Lord. Thank you for sharing.
Ladies, my cousin had his colon removed, cancer, he is only 50. He is full of love and faith in our Lord, please be in agreement with me for healing and for the Lord to show him and his wife what to do in the natural and in the spirit.
(He and his wife led me to the Lord).
Thanks!