Reflections on God as I watch reels of fire. On January 10th, a fire broke in Los Angeles. A mystery explosion in Fort Worth, Texas power substation. Life goes on by those not affected.  The monumental obvious is that God is shaking us to get our attention. New Years Eve, God’s three separate strikes of lightning on 3 towers of pride in our nations capital.

A firefighter recounts his encounter with a taunting wrath of fire. The fire fed on something bigger, darker, as it was alive and relentless. The battle was fierce, my lungs collapsed and I saw menacing figures. A sense of gravity filled the flaming atmosphere. The demon was claiming legal ground.

What breaks the heart of our Father? Silent children who never call on Him. The devasting East coast floods in June 2024 caused massive loss of life and damage. Did the 2025 terrorist attacks in Las Vegas cause anyone to consider God?  North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida got swallowed up in flood waters.  2025 began with a bang of apocalyptic events. The three blood moons appearing in 2025 are known to be signs of God’s judgment. The right NOW significance is a weight that Jeremiah also tried refusing. Excuses: I’m too young. I’m too old. I’m not gifted. I’m Bible illiterate. I fear rejection. I don’t want to offend. I don’t want to …? Walking in victory! My mouth only opens to speak what is helpful to build others up. Sealed in the Holy Spirit, He quickly pricks my spirit of any anger, slander, bitterness, or blame so that I ask for God’s forgiveness. What seems impossible, the Spirit in me makes a way as I surrender and obey. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do NOT grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were SEALED for the day of redemption. Get rid of all BITTERNESS, rage and ANGER, brawling and SLANDER, along with every form of MALICE. Be KIND and COMPASSIONATE to one another, FORGIVING each other, just as in Christ God FORGAVE you.” Eph 4:29-32

Faith is an actual substance, it is the real stuff that we can not see. It is just like vitamin C.  The nutrients are  beneficial substances contained in an orange, but we do not see them. Faith is believing in the unseen benefits provided by God. The Holy Spirit is everywhere believers are.  He leads us into levels of faith where we benefit greatly with the marvels of His holy presence. Psalm 31:21 “Praise be to the Lord, for He showed me the wonders of His love when I was in a city under siege.”

Has the lightening strikes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and a warning of bird flu got your attention? Isaiah 57 The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars? Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols. Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have NOT been true to ME, and have neither remembered ME nor taken this to heart? Is it NOT because I have long been silent that you do NOT fear ME? When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge in ME will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” Here the Lord.

A wise man named Solomon wrote: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away. I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecc 3

Today, wherever we are, we are His chosen temple. We are the remnant that God has appointed with a firm place in this land. Are we slaves of our flesh? Do we remain in bondage by our choice of silence? God has shown us such kindness in the sight of many rulers. Why did Jesus grant us NEW LIFE in Him?  As the remnant workers that come together to rebuild His church, we use our gifts to repair the ruins.  Our Lord commands that we put our gift of faith in action. Lord forgive us for our apathy. As Your servants, we have forsaken Your command to share the joy of our salvation and the Gospel.  Every citizen must be vigilant and pray for mercy and get right with God now.

The Bible says that the prescription to overcome the spirit of heaviness is praise. Praise God for the mercy of oxygen, for the grace found in a smile. Praise God for the friend we have in Jesus, and His promise to give life to dry bones. Start listing any sign of goodness . A community coming together, a sunrise, a flower, the rain, the hope God extends. Praise God for His daily mercies. Bust the Spirit of heaviness with rejoicing and genuine praise

Our silence during dark days is our great guilt. And yet, our holy God has punished us less than our many sins deserve. Mighty is our God to save us from ourselves. Not one of us is innocent, and yet our Father extends us more time to repent. Is it impossible to do anything to please God without the Holy Spirit? At this point in my life, I confess the hardest thing to do is to trust that God will use the words that I mutter for His glory. Praise God in all things because He is at work in ways we cannot see or begin to understand.

January 12th rocked us where we live. A WIDE ⏰️ AWAKE PERSPECTIVE: Hurricanes, Fire, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Plagues. Martin Iles wrote. “The LA fires now has many voices asking WHY and ACCUSING various people. A sign of the times is that nobody looks higher than politics. Natural disasters have been called “acts of God” for a reason. God never sleeps. In everything that happens, He has either done it, permitted it to happen, or He has stopped it. God is on the throne ruling. “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” Amos 3:6. “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,  “when I will send a famine through the land— NOT a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a FAMINE of HEARING the WORDS of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. “In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.” Amos 8:11

One of the most important answers is given to us by Jesus in Luke 13. A tower had fallen down, killing 18 people. He posed the question, “do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?” (who is the worst offender?) Jesus answers His own question. “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Watching raw footage of the fires is chilling. The horror of a fiery inferno includes the roar, the wind, the heat, the destruction. Hell is described in terms of fire. God’s judgement is described in terms of fire. Because God is just, He will judge. All evil and sin must be done away with and burned up. But He waits and delays, because He does not delight in judgement, and He seeks to save many people from it.

To that end, He lets us see warnings. These things happen, not because He desires our harm, but because He warns us of the fires to come… “repent, or you will all likewise perish.”

Our loving Father wants us to think about death. He wants us to see that we are helpless without God. He wants us to survive His necessary judgement. His judgement is good and it is also awful. The tragedy of the times described in Revelation is that people refuse to heed these warnings –

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:20

The world and Hollywood is full of evil. But don’t think it’s necessarily because they were especially evil… Jesus tells you to think about your own standing before God instead. GET READY because another kind of fire is coming. It’s good and it’s awful. Have you repented?” Martin Iles

Help me, Lord, to speak words of salt and light. This plea was answered in a dream after shaken awake by an earthquake on January12th. Trusting that the Spirit of God will use a word to touch broken hearts, deceived minds, and empty souls.  Give us courage and strength to speak hope. “Focus on the promise of eternal life with Jesus.”  With eternity in my heart, my dream was a scene with Jesus prompting Barbara: Suppose the King of England requested your presence.  The world protocol is that you bring the king a gift. But poor as I am, what could I bring? Unlike King Charles who expects a gift, and taxes. King Jesus is satisfied as you offer Him the gift of your heart. ❤️  Lord God, help us fulfill the role as a child of God.  Renew us, give us a focused mind of Christ. May our words edify others in these crucial last days. Oh God, thank You for Your Ways, and Your mercies.

LAST DAYS LOS ANGELES

On January 7, 2025, wild fires erupted and were fueled by dry condotions and powerful 100 mph winds roared across the Los Angeles area. America’s second largest city remains on fire as the world watches in shock. After 7 days and small containment, these fires are historically the most devastating and catastrophic fires on record. It began on Jan 7th. Seven days later, the fire consumed 50,000 acres.

▪️100,000 + left homeless

▪️Over 10,000+ homes destroyed.

▪️Loss of life uncalculated

▪️The devastating fires sweeping through LA County have brought unimaginable loss. The impact goes far beyond material possessions. We must turn to God. Pray that through this season of loss, people will turn to Jesus. God loves us, and He is near to the brokenhearted. He alone can provide the comfort and strength needed. Pray for all those affected and for God’s guidance and peace during this challenging time. ” Pastor Greg Laurie

Remember that in the beginning God spoke into what appeared to be chaos, and it became organized, what was dark began to sparkle with light, what was worthless had value, what was barren produced new life. A vast nothing became a solar system, trees, animals, birds, oceans, and fish. God was NOT intimidated by the dark then, and today, His seed has spread worldwide. His Word is being confessed in faith around the globe.  Whoever was blind is about to see the miraculous occur as Holy Spirit is hovering over the seeds planted. “So I directed my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by PRAYER and supplications, with FASTING, sackcloth and ashes.”   Daniel   9 : 3   —Draw near to God. Watch God move as you choose to fast from food, empty words, and pleasures. Pay attention to Who God is and what He is doing constantly, behind the visible on behalf of humanity. Praise the name of Jesus, for He is worthy. He intercedes for you so that You will know Him and His plan for you.

Matthew 5:15. People of God do not light a lamp and put it under the table topic. Instead, they put their light on display, and it sheds hope to everyone that comes near the temple, the dwelling place of God.

Dragon’s Prophecy