When the Crunch Comes

When the Biter Bites

The Christian archives are full of biographies of valiant men and women of God who have faced the most ‘insurmountable’ odds and survived. People who have simply had to rely on God for everything. Brother Yun, The Heavenly Man, springs to mind, as do Hudson Taylor, John Lake, and many others who have ‘Just Done It’ without having a clue as to where the next penny is coming from.

There are many stories of people inviting a few people to supper, not having so much as a can of corn in the cupboard, and God providing for everyone who turned up, and to spare afterwards. The best modern example of this must be Heidi and Rolland Baker out in Mozambique. Barely a penny in the world, yet running a children’s ministry, and supporting many kids who would otherwise be left to the mercies of a cruel world.

We were talking about this only last Sunday and someone remarked or asked, “When was the last time you heard of anyone without a penny being told by God to get a train ticket, standing in the queue without any means of paying for the ticket, yet having someone arrive to pay for it for them?” He went on, “You see, that is trusting God for provision. How often do we see that in these days?”

I wonder what some of these people did when the Biter bit; when the rubber hit the road; and when their worst scenario became a reality. Please notice I didn’t say anything about their worst fears coming true. Some of them, with more faith than me, methinks, simply shrugged it off and praised God in faith for their next train ticket or meal or house payment.

I don’t want to sound too downbeat here, but this is a scenario that more and more Christians may well be facing in the coming season. Financial crashes, lost investments or jobs, persecution, terrorism charges and so on. By the way, in case you hadn’t yet realised it, in the USA today, a Christian is automatically assumed to be a possible, if not a probable terrorist !!

So, I wonder, how would any of us handle any of this. Would we have the faith to hang on in there and trust God, or would we roll over and surrender? Next time your job goes and you are on minimum support what will you do? Next time your investments simply collapse and your savings are minimal, what then? Will you trust God for everything as did the men and women of God of old?

I see a new wave coming towards Christendom. A wave not just of revival but also of persecution and breaking. This wave may well be an integral part of a wave of revival or the two waves may come separately. Either way, when the USA starts its (666) chipping program next year, that will be where the rubber hits the road. See my post http://chrisrofmi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/mark-of-beast.html from Feb 22 2012.

Sorry if this is a bit doom and gloom, but as a watchman, I have to say what I see coming. Its part of the price I have to pay for the privilege of watching for the signs of the times.