If you were outside your home and saw your child walking too close to the road, you would run after your child and get their attention with spoken words, right? No good parent wants their child’s life cut short. You would yell “No,” rather quickly and not think twice about it…for sure. 

You will take a stand if you are going to lose everything. You will take a stand when you align yourself with God and see people walking down a wrong path. 

If you were clipping limbs off a tree and a copperhead snake slivered out, would you pet it and invite it in for dinner or cut the head off? You either have to stand up to evil or be bitten. Satan is mad and there is a real war raging over the future of America and the nations, over the culture, over destiny and the prophetic. Satan knows his time is short. 

Laws have been changed to go against God’s Word, bills that appear good for the people but bring about destruction and ruin are in place, and like the leadership had to be changed in the time of Daniel, we need a change in some areas as well. (See Daniel chapter 1). Daniel and his friends faced the opportunity to please God or please mankind. For Daniel, he chose to obey God. 

Satan knows how to cleverly disguise something to appear good, to save us money or make it appear that way, but in the end to bring about destruction. Any time a person is moved by padding their own pockets, and do not care about the good of the people, it is an evil plot. 

Esther encountered such a time as this recorded in the Bible. God saved the Jewish people because Esther chose to stand up and take a risk.

In our culture and media, God’s name is mentioned with little reverence. Only in the midst of tragedy did the nation turn to God on September 11, 2001 for about three weeks. Satan has infiltrated the minds of people to even state that people who hear God have some type of mental illness. 

Instead of allowing the enemy to devour and destroy us, it’s time for pest control. Get rid of fear, doubt, and unbelief. Run the enemy out of your mind and heart. Take a stand and speak truth in love. 

If at any time any of us get more concerned about money than we are souls, we are in trouble. If a pastor won’t speak truth to a person because he or she is one of their biggest givers in the church, or speak to friends and family who go against God’s Word, it is no different than big government that is more concerned with profit than the people they are called to serve. 

Fear can prevent any of us from taking a risk and taking a stand. It’s time for all people to know that we can live and have abundant life in Christ—but the world system and God’s ways are not the same. 

God’s ways are always best. Our view of Him impacts three areas of our lives. First, our prayers. When we recognize His greatness and power, we will become more confident that He can accomplish mighty things—(Ephesians 3:20; James 4:2). 

Second, our understanding of God’s righteousness and His goodness influences our behavior. As we desire to be more Christlike, if we want to be blessed by Him, then it is in our best interest to quickly obey Him and His Word. As we desire to be like Him, to desire righteousness, we will be quick to repent of sin instead of blaming people, manipulating, and acting out in the flesh. 

Third, our faith is highly impacted. Knowing that God can be trusted, that we know He is good and wants the best for us, causes us to fully trust Him. Knowing God and remembering His awesome acts on behalf of all mankind and those in our personal lives will build our confidence in Him. 

The Bible says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).  Who on earth would not want eternal life in Christ? 

God’s name was not mentioned in the entire book of Esther but His Hand was evident throughout. God is awesome. He is forever to be praised. He saves His people. 

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who was planning to kill all the Jews. Purim, or the Feast of Lots, is a joyous holiday that recounts the saving of the Jews from a threatened massacre during the Persian period. Esther, who chose to take a stand shows the leading role she played in saving her people. She chose. She took a risk. 

Look at her background for a moment. “Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died” (Esther 2:7). 

Take time to read the Book of Esther. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to come under His Mighty Hand—the Holy Spirit, Prayer, the Word of God, the five-fold ministry, and the brethren. Don’t allow the enemy of your soul to isolate you from those you love. Satan is evil and always scheming to take God’s people out.

Our rights come from God, not from government. Every living human being has a soul. God has a plan and a purpose for every person…it’s up to us as individuals to make the choice to obey God or not, to receive the gift of eternal life or not. Will you choose? What will it take for you? 

Stand strong, take a stand, step out and take a risk with God. When we wholeheartedly align ourselves with God…we stand with Him. We cooperate with His plan and purposes in the earth. Since God is for us, nothing can be against us. I have read the end of the Bible—and it ends well. How will your story end? 

God is raising up precious men and women of God who will take a stand with Him, and spread the message of hope in God—the Blessed Hope—Jesus Christ! The Promises of God are “yes” and “amen.” God’s best is stored up for you. Yes, you will have to overcome obstacles and opposition in order to lay hold on all God has for you. Meditate upon God’s Word. Pray the Word and obey God’s instructions. Get His Word on the inside and then share it with the world about you. The Word of God will sustain you through the fire, through the storms, and while you are fighting the good fight of faith required to lay hold of all God has promised. 

Share the Word…tell your children and grandchildren. Tell your family, friends, and those who come against you. Tell the world about Jesus! 

God may have called you to take a stand in the realm of government, He may have called you to do full-time ministry, or start your own business. God may have you homeschooling your kids, raising your family to know God or you may be a full-time parent and work a full-time job as well. God’s plan and purpose for you is good…the most important thing you will ever do is fully and wholeheartedly receive and align yourself with God through Jesus Christ! The second most important thing is living that life out before the world around you…will you take a stand for Christ? 

Love,

Deborah

Books by Dr. Deborah Starczewski…available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors.

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed, And Know Your Purpose)….learn how to move from drama to destiny, a mess to a message, pain to purpose, and trials to triumph through turning to Jesus Christ. 

 A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)….read the amazing accounts of how God intervened, raised my husband from death, healed him from two strokes, and walked with us through two open-heart surgeries at Mercy. The natural manifestations and extreme details revealed will give you hope to believe God for yourself, for your family, and the nations.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)….we are living in the Last Days…before the return of Jesus Christ….make sure of your relationship with Jesus and lead your family and friends to Him. You are a world-changer! 

You may be worried, stressed out, angry, depressed, or just flat not realize what is going on. You may be caught up in complaining and murmuring due to watching too much media. You may be living life on top of the world in a manmade bubble and not be concerned at all, but the person with his or her eyes open recognizes something is changing drastically. 

With all the floods, fire, and destruction that has happened across America, we must know and understand the warnings. Are we living in the last of the last days that the Bible warns us about? The Scriptures teach that there will be an end to human history as we know it. It will not be the end of the world, but the end of the world system as we know it. 

I find it interesting that the recent hurricane named IRMA means “world.” Could it be that we witnessed a storm against the world system that is dominated by evil as a natural manifestation? I believe so. God is sending warning after warning, confirmation after confirmation, for people to be prepared for eternity. 

We live in a world that operates with the laws of nature. If you fall off a bicycle, you will hit the ground. If you jump off a building, you will most likely kill yourself. The law of gravity is in operation. Hurricanes, and earthquakes occur with the natural release of pent-up energy, as well as fault lines being in the earth for movement. It is not wisdom to build a house on a fault line no more than it is wisdom to build a development in a flood plain. One may end up in a heap of ashes, while the other will eventually be flooded over time. 

We live in a fallen world because of sin—the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. God sent His Son Jesus to redeem all mankind. He came as a baby, but He is coming back as the KING of kings and LORD of lords…where His Kingdom will reign forevermore. 

The Bible teaches that Satan is “the prince of this world” (John 12:31) and, “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2). Satan knows his time is short and he is in constant conflict with God while pursuing his deadly plan. The war in the heavens that is happening is manifesting on earth in storms, wars and rumors of wars, and multiplied destructions. 

We all need God. Without Him, there is no hope for humanity. The enemy was defeated on the Cross at Calvary, but as believers, we must stand up and use our God-given authority and influence in the earth. 

The Bible warns us of changing times and easily discernible signs that will occur at the end of the age. Jesus said in Matthew 24 that there would be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, but He also said that these would only be the beginning. Jesus said that people “will betray and hurt each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10-12). 

Jesus added: “This gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 

Because of increased technology, this is a very real possibility of reaching the whole world before the end of this century. If you are led by the Lord, you can go to our website: starministriesinc.com and click on worldwide outreach to give a one time donation or become a monthly partner and help us reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

With the warnings from the government to be prepared and evacuate with the recent storms, it is a natural manifestation of what will one day occur. Jesus will call us home. Are you prepared to meet Jesus? Are you ready for Christ’s return? Make sure today. 

“Heavenly Father, I ask You to heal every heart, wipe away every tear, and bring about full restoration where the enemy has stolen. Bring about revival across the nations and turn America back to You again. I ask You Lord to open blind eyes to see the truth and the times in which we live. I thank You Father God for the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin. Touch every heart to turn to You. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray.” 

Amen.”

#Pray 

HIS LOVE AND MINE, 

Deborah Starczewski

Books for Encouragement:

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the miraculous account that will keep you turning the pages and give you increased faith to believe God for anything. 

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)…learn how to move from drama to destiny, pain to purpose, a mess to a message of hope, and from trials to triumph through turning to Jesus Christ. 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?) …a must read for all.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com, and other distributors. 

We need to look at what Jesus said the times would look like just prior to His return, and learn what we MUST do. We must love the Truth and learn to depend upon the Holy Spirit in every detail…to hear the still small voice of God, and recognize His Hand in our lives. The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world of sin.

What will it take to succeed in these times? Endurance. 

What is endurance? It is not a very popular word nor one that is understood very easily. However, in order to succeed in battle, we better understand it and learn to endure. It is obvious that we are living in times when it is increasingly important that we understand what it means to us as individuals. 

The King James Version of the Bible was translated well over three hundred plus years ago, and the meaning of some English words have changed. The KJV uses the word patience where we would use the word endurance today. Nobody likes that word—patience. People cringe when they hear someone mention that they prayed for patience. Many say that asking God for patience brings tribulation and all kinds of trouble. 

Where we talk about patience, the King James Version uses the word long-suffering. Patience or long-suffering means to be willing to put up with irritating people, circumstances and situations without losing your temper—to remain in good character, composed, and not fly off the handle like a volcanic eruption. It is a highly valuable Christian virtue…and satan knows best how to trigger each person to lose their temper. Hello?!?!

I am well aware that I could use more of it myself when it comes to injustices, lies, betrayal and long-suffering. It’s blatantly obvious that the whole world needs it desperately. Never think you have arrived to some special place of achievement or honor in the things of God—we are always learning and growing…and will be till the day Jesus calls us home—through death or when the Trumpet sounds. 

When the King James Version uses the word patience, the modern day word would be endurance or perseverance. 

The verb form that the King James Version of the Bible uses is “to endure.” 

We need to look at what Jesus said the world would look like immediately prior to His return. Jesus gave a prophetic preview on the Mount of Olives. Many of the things He spoke about are coming to pass before our very eyes… right now. 

What I want to focus on is what we are going to need to get through these days. “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13). 

Pay close attention and notice the direct connection between lawlessness and lovelessness. It’s obvious that when people become lawless, they become loveless. We sometimes think of love as spontaneous, a natural response to others, as something free, something that requires no laws and no discipline. But that is far from truth. Love and discipline go hand in hand. Think about what it is like to raise a family. You love your kids, but they have to be disciplined. A good father disciplines his children. God disciplines us. 

Think about this with me. When discipline and law break down, love grows cold. We have watched it manifest for some time now in America…and across the nations. The word for love in verse 12 of Matthew 24 is agape, which refers to the love of Christians. Jesus is not talking about the love of the world growing cold, but the love of Christians growing cold. 

We are witnessing this terrible tragedy today—presently—lawlessness abounding and love growing cold—Jesus says: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” We have to endure to the end. The original Greek says this, “He that has endured unto the end, it is he who will be saved.” 

In Mark’s rendering of the same Olivet Discourse—Jesus’s prophetic preview on the Mount of Olives—we find this warning repeated:

“Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” —Mark 13:12-13

This is a bleak and somber picture of lies, deception, betrayal, rampant treachery and disloyalty within family relationships and toward Christians who will be hated by all. This is what Jesus warned us about….

This is happening today…and has been happening. People are being persecuted for their faith abroad and here in America. Adult children have risen up, like Judas in the Bible, to betray their own parents. That same deception is going on in marriages, legal battles, in businesses, and even in church and among believers. 

Never forget, in the Book of Revelation Satan is called “that serpent of old…who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). And Paul warns in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 that this satanic tactic will find its ultimate expression in the Antichrist, who will deceive with lying signs and wonders all those who “did not receive the love of the Truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Our only protection is to receive the love of truth. All who refuse this will not merely be deceived by Satan; God Himself will send them a strong delusion…to those who chose not to believe the Gospel of Christ..the Truth. 

Love of the truth is not a mere conformity to religious tradition, imitating man, or using the latest worldly methods and strategies to draw a crowd in a church. It is not even reading your Bible and having a “quiet time” before the Lord on a daily basis. It demands a total, unreserved, unwavering commitment to believe and obey God’s Word—one that rules out all forms of compromise. 

It’s where we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas in our own lives that need purifying…where we allow Church services to be led by the Holy Spirit, instead of man, where families and businesses are committed to God and Holy Spirit-led. The Holy Spirit reveals all hidden truth and shows us things to come. He empowers us, sanctifies us, and equips us to stand strong and to succeed. 

What Paul would tell us today is this……he knew Satan was terrified of his calling. The reason Paul was attacked repeatedly and recurrently is that the devil was fearful of the enormous progress Paul would make if he didn’t face opposition and adversity. Paul would remind us right now, for today, that his anointing, his calling, and his potential were the factors that triggered demonic attacks in the first place. 

Paul suffered many horrific and crazy things during the course of his ministry because he was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. You see, Satan was terrified of what would happen if Paul could operate in his divine call without hindrance and opposition. 

It’s starting to make sense to you now, isn’t it? Think about it. How much could Paul do without any opposition? How much territory could Paul take without opposition and resistance? If Paul was able to do all the incredible things he did with God for God’s Kingdom in the face of such evil opposition, what kind of Gospel advancements could he have made with no opposition! 

Satan stirred up trouble, threw every obstacle he could in Paul’s way to slow him down, to ruin his name, to discredit him, to destroy his relationships, friendships, and, if possible, to even kill him. Satan hated the call of God on Paul’s life…and he hates it on mine and your’s too. 

It’s obvious that Paul had a made up mind—a firm decision—that he would not stop, not quit, and not give up until he had apprehended that for which Christ Jesus had apprehended him (Philippians 3:12). You will have to do the same thing—have a made up mind—make a firm decision—so that you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks and successfully achieve all God has called you to do with Him, by determining, right now, never to stop, until you have accomplished your divine destiny. Jesus taught that those who “endure to the end” are the ones who will receive the prize (Matthew 24:13). 

So..what are we to do?  Resist the devil. Don’t give in. Hold out. Endure. I firmly believe that God is speaking that word to us today. I pray that God, through His Holy Word, will put steel in your soul, increased boldness in your heart, and give you a spiritual backbone to endure if you do not already have one. 

I pray GOD will give you a holy boldness to stand strong, stand apart, and step out to represent Him well in the earth. 

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose) …learn how to move from drama to destiny, a mess to a message, from trials and troubles to triumph through turning to Jesus Christ. 

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)….a miraculous story of hope and healing that will keep you turning the pages. God raised my husband from death, healed him from two strokes, and walked with us through two open-heart surgeries. This book will give you increased faith to believe God for anything and has a Confession Prayer inside that will change your life. 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)…a must read for all. 

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, xulon.com bookstore, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors.