Every time God does something new on the earth, He must first destroy the works of man, and then He can proceed with His plan. It will always bring great trauma to people, including God’s own people. Isaiah 55:6-11

Let us look at some of the most shaking events recorded in the Bible:

It took God ten years after the death of Terah, before Abraham finally left the land of the Chaldees. Gen.12:1-5

2. Leaving Egypt was a very traumatic experience for the children of Israel. After all, they had lived in Egypt for 430 years. Exodus 12:41 Instead of looking forward to moving on with God, they became angry. Exodus 5:15-23

3. Going into captivity to Babylon was more than traumatic. But Israel had sinned, God had decreed His judgment - and not accepting it was more of the sin and rebellion. Jeremiah15:1-3; 25:8-11; 29:4-14

4. We would think that after 70 years of captivity, the people of Judah would rush out like water from a broken dam. Not so, after 70 years in Babylon, they had become rich and spoiled by the fast life and the latest technology available in the capital of this world empire. Of the almost million Jewish populations in Babylon, only 42,360 chose to go back home to Jerusalem. Ezra 2:1-70

5. When God sent His only begotten Son to Israel, the leadership rejected Him and forced the majority of the Jews at that time to reject Jesus, which still is going on today. John 1:9-14; Matt.26:1-5

6. It must have been chaos when the 25,000 plus believers in Christ were forced out of Jerusalem.

But in Matt.28: 18-20 Jesus had told them to get out into the whole word. But they liked the big church and the comfort in Jerusalem. Only persecution could move them on. Acts 8:1-4

7. After the salvation of Martin Luther, he openly proclaimed his faith in Christ in 1517. Almost 100 years later God was stirring the Christians in England, and God gave birth to the Puritan movement.

The struggle got so bad, that a whole congregation of Puritans fled to Holland in 1607, where they thought they would live for the rest of their lives. But 13 years later the majority of them embarked on a ship, the Mayflower, which arrived in the Plymouth Colony 1620. In 1642 civil war broke out in England, only the Sword of the Lord could drive the Roman Catholic Church from power, and in 1649 the war ended with the Puritans in power. It was the Puritan movement that gave birth to the great revivals, that would sweep England and America for the next two centuries.

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Here we are, facing great upheavals and changes in the way we live. What shall we do?

A) We have received a spiritual kingdom that cannot be moved: Hebr.12:22-29

B) The world might be devastated, but God has not earmarked us for destruction: 1 Thess.5:1-11

C) We must put our priorities on Christ, not on earthly things - Matt.6:19-21

D) Only believers in Christ walking in FAITH can handle the stress - Hebr.11:1-10

E) Understand that you are only a PILGRIM (temporary visitor) on this planet - Hebr.11: 13-16

Are you saved?

              Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

                                                How is your stress level?