Since
conception, my life has been flavored by wars and rumors of war. My Father went
to the Korean War at a very young age, ended up with PTSD, and never got
counseling or treatment. He consequentially made our home life a living
warzone.
He
buried, in his subconscious mind, his anger and the emotional results of his
personal trauma in the war and from his young life in the depression, never
talking about his experiences and trying unsuccessfully to forget them.
Unfortunately, they kept creeping out and negatively affecting our whole
family.
His
anger was relentlessly focused on my sweet, little mother who faithfully served
him with every ounce of energy and focus in her body and soul. He ceaselessly
knit-picked at the behavior of my three little brothers and myself - demeaning
us with every word.
We
ended up secretly nick-naming him "BF" for "Bad Frank". We
avoided him at all costs, because he was larger than life, and he dominated our
development throughout our life. He was a mean man, who did nice things for
everyone - a conundrum in itself.
World
War One was supposed to be the war that ended all wars, but it was just the
beginning. The world has been controlled by wars and rumors of wars ever since
then as well. All of my life this issue brought big changes in my life.
As
a teenager, I lost my fiancé to the Vietnam War, not physically but emotionally.
He ended up as a hero, and I found Jesus as my Savior. These new facets of our individual
lives put a wedge in our relationship. He went on to train as a Green Beret,
and I sold out to Jesus and His Kingdom with every fiber of my body and soul.
There
is still a very large war looming in the future of the world. The Word of God
calls it Armageddon. Hollywood uses that title in movies and in shows that they
plan, in order to evoke an "end of an era" feeling in their viewers.
Satan uses these Hollywood tactics in his attempts to water-down the importance
of this major Biblical event.
However,
when Armageddon really does occur, there will be no confusion about the results
of it. The earth will suffer a single skirmish affected by a word breathed by
Jesus' own mouth, and in a matter of seconds the armies of the world will fall
dead (Revelation 16:16, 20:1-3). Then, King Jesus will take up His rightful
throne and rule and reign there for eternity (Matthew 19:28).
Prayer:
Father
God, what a glorious future You have planned for those living on the earth
after the seven years of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 20:4). Prosperity,
peace, joy-filled experiences, and a Paradise-inspired existence lie ahead for
those of us with an immortal body, and adopted into Your family through the
sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary's cross (John 19:30). You will lead us to serve
You in the nations left on the earth at that time.
Then,
You will loosen Satan from His chains for a short time, and he will have the
opportunity to deceive everyone born during the Millennium (Revelation 20:7). You
designed this so that people will have a chance, just like we do in our
lifetime, to accept or reject Jesus' sacrifice for their personal sins. I pray
for them to realize that the King dwelling among them is the only Way, Truth
and Life - just as He is now (John 14:6).
Thought
for the Day:
Wars
and rumors of wars will finally cease once King Jesus takes His rightful throne
on the earth; and the fears, insecurity, and tumultuous experiences so prolific
in the world today will fade as distant memories, never to plague us again.
