You have probably sat on the sidelines to watch your favorite football team. You may watch the big game from your sofa or meet at a local restaurant and enjoy friends and food together. But there is a bigger war–between good and evil–that is happening all around us…and it is way too late to sit on the sidelines. 

With all eyes on the presidential debate, it is important that we are open to see the truth. This is probably the most pivotal election of all time. The only other election that takes precedence over all, is the one that matters for all eternity–being born-again from above through Jesus Christ. God wants all people saved. It is not His will that any should perish. 

Instead of assuming and attacking each other, we must rally together in prayer and unity to take a stand for righteousness. Success in life doesn’t matter very much where there is no safety. 

“I ask You, God, to wrap your arms of love around the families and friends of all who have lost loved ones in this war—-right here in America. I decree blind eyes open and light where there is darkness.”

There is always something you don’t know in every situation. Instead of being critics, may we use our voices to cry out to God for all people in this nation. It’s not hard to tell that America is on a moral decline at a high rate of speed. With terror in the streets, and needless casualties of a real war…it is the midnight hour, and we must take a stand.

One man–Elijah–took a stand. He defeated the prophets of Baal. Samson had a come back and destroyed more enemies in his death than he did in his lifetime. Delilah forgot to keep the scissors handy…and Samson’s hair began to grow again. He had a Covenant with God. 

A nation divided will not stand. Satan uses evil tactics to sow division and discord in a nation, in its leaders, in the family, in the church, and in the workplace. He poisons the minds of all who will take his bait. His mode of operation is to create strife and to cause everyone to fight against each other. It’s much like a Trojan Horse…in war..that destroys from within. Satan’s agenda is destruction. 

It’s time to take a stand…for righteousness. If one man named Elijah can make a difference, you can. Jesus used one little boy’s basket lunch to feed a multitude. Whatever we place in God’s hands, He multiplies. 

“Lord, I pray, the Holy Spirit draws us back to YOU as a nation. May revival fires fill every single heart to create a changed life that sparks revival fires in others across the nations.”

We are here on earth to stand beside each other, help when it is in our power to do so, squeeze a hand and listen intently to someone who is grieving, and to be a person who is so empty of self, but alive in Christ, that we feel the other person’s pain and are moved to tears and action like Jesus. 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will American Turn Back To God?) is a must read for every leader, every pastor, and every person who cares about the next generation to come. God’s Word is coming to pass before our eyes and with all the signs from Heaven we could be the generation that sees the return of Christ! We are called to occupy….to be about the Father’s business…..till Jesus comes! We are called to live like Jesus may come back today, and plan for the future…because no one knows the day or the hour of His return. 

We are not here to be entertained but to live in God’s power and advance His kingdom here on earth. America’s problem is sin–and the remedy is Jesus Christ! 

God wants to use you to advance His purposes and give you a future that is good. God used a man who committed murder (Moses) to lead His people out of slavery, a shepherd boy (David) to kill a giant and he became king, a virgin (Mary) to give birth to our savior Jesus, and a common fisherman (Peter) to lead His church. A man named Saul who had believers murdered, (now Paul after his conversion on the road to Damascus) was the most prolific writer of the New Testament.  If God can use all those mentioned above, God can use you and me!

 *(Excerpt from THE MIDNIGHT HOUR…published 2015). 

Pray with me daily:  God, I thank YOU for frustrating all evil plots and all ungodly counsel. I thank You God that the Holy Spirit reveals ALL hidden truth and shows us things to come. Father God, use me in your purposes here on earth. 

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”(Ephesians 2:10). 

RESOURCES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH:

The Midnight Hour (Will America Turn Back To God?)

God’s Priceless Treasure (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed And Know Your Purpose)

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)….a modern day miraculous story

www.starministriesinc.com

Books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christian Books Distributors, etc. 

Peace won’t be found in sexual relationships, agendas, boardrooms, new houses, new cars, in the political realm, manipulating systems to achieve a desired result, or in anything other than Jesus Christ. He is Peace Himself. 

Don’t put your hope in any man. Don’t put your hope in anything here on earth. This life is only temporal and Jesus is coming back again. Because of the Resurrection, we can have life and Peace. Put your faith in the Lamb of God!

Donkeys, elephants, democrats, republicans, independents—none of these hold the answers to the world’s problems and the present chaos. Jesus warned us of all these things in the Book of Matthew. (Matthew 24)

It is amazing to me that Matthew 24 and the Passion week of Jesus Christ line up today. It is being fulfilled in front of our eyes. 

You can sit comfortably in a nice home to a small apartment and feel safe, but only eternal protection is found in the Lamb of God—Jesus, the Redeemer of the WHOLE WORLD. Because of His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, we have a Covenant that cannot be annulled. 

I recently taught on the Blood Covenant again at Life Christian University and was reminded …..Unlike man’s agreement which used to be valuable—where a man’s word or handshake was his bond, or in ancient days between people in a tribal covenant—we have a Blood Covenant with Jesus that cannot be annulled. I have often heard….Your life works exactly to the degree that you keep your agreements. An agreement has integrity because you make it, and for no other reason.

The natural mind wants what it wants when it wants it and if an agreement gets in the way, the mind will move toward breaking the agreement in order to get what it wants. Integrity does not rest on what your mind wants but on willingness to keep agreements, no matter what excuses the mind comes up with to break them. Thank God for Jesus who always keeps His Word and who honors His Word even above His Name. Thank God Jesus went to the Cross for the whole world. 

Thank GOD for the Lamb of God—the Redeemer of all mankind. Thank God for His Character and amazing love for all. I love the word all—it means all. He desires that none should perish. 

Jesus went to the cross, died for all mankind, and rose again on the third day. One word from God can change everything. He is the ultimate sacrifice—the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. 

When you truly know Jesus through a born-again experience and relationship, you can experience His resurrection power. You can have life again after walking through heartbreak, hurts, anxiety, loss, and anything else that happens to you in this world. 

I personally know that the Resurrection power of Jesus is still working today. You can read the full account in my second book: A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days at the Mercy Seat)—an up-to-date story of God’s power and divine intervention that gives God glory. 

While today is Easter Sunday and many people went to church, many know about God, some may even be in leadership roles, and have never fully given their whole heart to Jesus or put their faith in Him. Many are so busy doing ministry or work that they have forgotten ministry to the Lord Himself. This can happen to anyone.

Many come to church in search of hope. I believe the worst possible feeling is the one of feeling unwanted and uncared about in this life. That is the ultimate poverty. Jesus came to accept us as His own through redemption. He gave Himself that we would be accepted by God. When we face rejection in this life, we are accepted by God. When we face hardships of any kind, God is with us in the fiery trials of life—from abandonment, abuse, betrayal, cancer, divorce, emotional pain, failures, hurts, loss, and anything else the enemy tries to throw at us—God is with us. We can choose joy as we wait on God—fully trusting the outcomes to Him. 

We have the Good News of the Gospel which produces a contagious joy and freedom like nothing else can give. While Jesus spoke SEVEN sentences from the Cross, we also have the Names of God to reveal His character—and the Truth that He will never break His Word to us. We have a Blood Covenant through the finished work of Jesus on the Cross that cannot be annulled. What a relief and hope for all eternity for all humanity.

Jesus is the LAMB OF GOD (Seh He’Elohim). The Bible says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming unto Him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus is our ultimate sacrifice. He is the fulfillment of the entire system—His sacrifice pays for our past, present, and future sin. He is our Passover Lamb. (see Hebrews 7:26-29).

Jesus is Resurrection and Life (Hatekuman v’haChayim). The Bible says, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live….” (John 11:25).

Death could not hold Jesus, nor can death hold any who are born-again IN HIM. The grave could not keep Him. Death nor the grave have a hold on any of us as believers. We will be raised up with Jesus when He returns. 

Jesus was 100 percent man (born of a virgin), and Christ 100 percent God. In Jesus Christ  we can have abundant life. This is the reason Easter or Resurrection Sunday is a beloved celebration of the life of Jesus. The same resurrection power resides in us as born-again believers. We are crucified with him (our past, present, and future sin), but we are resurrected and made brand new in Him and that is the best part that can never be taken away.

Like Mary who chose to sit at the feet of Jesus when He came to visit the home in Bethany—she chose the best part. (You can read the account in John 11) We must also choose. Life is all about choices. 

Jesus is our Redeemer (Jehovah Go’el). The Bible says, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth…” (Job 19:25). 

Redeem means to purchase or buy back something (or someone). Take time to read the account in the Bible about Boaz and Ruth. In ancient times, customs played a huge role in the lives of people. For example, when a Hebrew became enslaved, it was the custom for the next of kin to pay the necessary price to purchase the relative’s freedom—the part of a “redeemer.” That is what God did for us by giving His Son Jesus as The Lamb and the finished work on the cross. I keep saying FINISHED WORK because it is complete. It is our choice if we miss eternity with God. Our redemption has been paid in full. 

Jesus bore our sorrows. (Ish-Makh-Ovot: Man of Sorrows)

The passion week shows the ultimate sacrifice Jesus gave for us. The Bible says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3).

Jesus, who was sinless and perfect, was put on the cross for all mankind. He did it for the joy set before Him. Jesus understands our sorrows and hurts. God cares deeply for all mankind and is present with us today because he went through it all for us. 

 Jesus is our Righteousness (Jehovah-Tzidkenu). The Bible says, “In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety…is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior” (Jeremiah 33:16).

It is through the finished work on the cross that we are made right with God. What an amazing love the Father God has for all mankind. God sees us through His Son. Tzidkenu comes from the Hebrew word: (tsedek) and it means “right, righteous, declared innocent.” 

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21 NIV)

Take time after Easter to dig deeper into God’s Word. Study His names and be changed from the inside out. You will learn to trust Him in greater measure and learn more about His character and nature. It is key to understanding that God is love, that He has a good plan for your life, and is essential to knowing WHO you are IN CHRIST, and God’s purpose for your life. Since God sees and knows all, why not pray and ask God Himself. 

No matter what you are walking through, God is with you. No matter how terrible the storm, we can survive because God is with us. Don’t allow fear to take over. Reflect and remember that the resurrection power of God resides in us as believers.  

Don’t allow sorrow to stop you from moving forward. Don’t allow doubt to delay your obedience. Don’t allow fear to immobilize you. Look up toward Heaven in faith—Jesus is RISEN. 

Can you imagine how Mary felt when she came to the empty tomb? This life can make you feel empty, but when we keep our trust, hope, and faith in Jesus, we are full of hope and joy—that only comes from a personal relationship with Him. 

The conditions in this present world can seem so impossible that any of us can be tempted to jump ship. Choose to cling to God instead of putting your security in anything other than Jesus. Things that promise security but don’t deliver it—wealth, hard work, alcohol, drugs, worldly wisdom, worldly pleasures, relationships, stuff, and food. Misplaced hopes are dangerous because they keep us from anchoring ourselves in God, the only One who can save us. 

It is amazing to me that Matthew 24 and the Passion week of Jesus Christ line up perfectly. We can see the same happening today—severe betrayal like Judas (from family, friends, business associates), the government and authorities going after Christians, those thinking they are doing God service by killing and murdering those that believe, and the earth quaked at the Cross and darkness fell over the earth. Jesus arose and He is our High Priest in Heaven now, interceding for us that our faith will not fail. He is RISEN indeed and alive forevermore—and is coming back again. 

God is not caught off guard by anything that is happening globally or personally in our lives. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. The present day events are lined up perfectly on God’s timetable and Jesus is coming back again! Pray for your family, friends, and those who have betrayed you—for they would not have done so had they not been blinded by Satan. 

Do not let your heart be troubled. JESUS is ALIVE! 

HIS love and mine,

Deborah Starczewski

Other books by Deborah: THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?) and GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed, and Know Your Purpose)…moving from drama to destiny.  Available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Xulon.com, etc. 

Always remember, God has the final Word! Trust Him!

You’ve opened a special gift and chocolates, placed your roses in water or perhaps you just left the church cemetery where you placed your last rose in honor of someone you loved and lost. 

In a world filled with media, from Hollywood hopes and dreams to the Holy Bible, how can we find true love in this life? How can we experience fulfilling relationships according to God’s Word? How can we have real friendships with real people who really care? You may be discouraged and have a heart that is shut down when you’ve been transparent with someone who betrayed you, to feeling security in a lasting relationship because you are married to your best friend. You may be sitting at the bedside of your lifelong mate in Hospice, or you may have a romantic dinner planned with all the trimmings. Whatever the case, we need to remind ourselves, even through the pain—so that our perspective changes, that we have an everlasting love totally with God. 

You might be wondering in your heart, “How could God love me after what I’ve been through” to “how could God love me after all I have done?” The truth is—God loves you unconditionally and sent His Son Jesus to redeem mankind through the finished work on the Cross of Calvary. His precious blood paid the high price, once and for all for the sins of the world. 

Let’s turn to God’s love letter to all mankind—the perfect Valentine’s Day illustration through the pages of the Bible. 

In order to understand the Book of Hosea, we must understand some background. The name “Hosea” means “salvation.”  The book is literally a message of salvation to a spiritually bankrupt people. (That would be all of mankind) 

Hosea is calling out to Gomer. Do you see how “Salvation” is calling out to Gomer in the Book of Hosea? The name Gomer means complete, so every time Hosea calls her by name, he is calling her complete. The Bible tells us to call things that aren’t as though they are already—He is still doing that today. Pay attention to the words you use with those you love and care about—and don’t allow the enemy to get you into a war of words. 

God is calling out to us through the gift of Jesus, our salvation, so we can be made whole in Him. God sees us through the finished work on the Cross of Calvary where Jesus shed His precious blood for you and me. He arose three days later and is seated at the right hand of the Father, still interceding for us today. His resurrection power is still available today! You can read about it in my second book: A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days at the Mercy Seat)—the story of all the miracles in my precious husband’s life and how God used different people in the process. We witnessed the faithfulness of God. While God is always faithful, sometimes people are not.

There is an amazing account in the Bible about the Prophet Hosea and his troubled relationship in marriage where you will see a powerful testimony for us today concerning our own tendencies to be unfaithful to God. It is also a beautiful portrait of the passionate love God has for us.

Let’s start with what the Bible says first. Hosea receives an unusual instruction from God: “”Go, take a harlot wife and harlot’s children, for the land gives itself to harlotry, turning away from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim” (Hosea 1:2).

Another version reads: “Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning the LORD. So he went and married Gomer daughter of Dibliam, and she conceived and bore him a son” (Hosea 1:2-3 HOLMAN CSB). 

With Valentine’s Day approaching, you might be feeling a little frustrated for various reasons. You may be married and feel you are lacking romance. You may be on top of the world with everything seemingly going your way—but still feel an emptiness within. You may be divorced and feel you have waited too long to find love again. You may be a widow and missing your spouse. You may be single and looking for love. Valentine’s Day can feel a little frustrating for some if we have our hopes and dreams in a person or in an unrealistic expectation. 

The only love that never leaves you frustrated is the love of Jesus Christ. Many are heartbroken over a lack of romance to being frustrated with not finding their Mr. or Mrs. Right. Many want to rush the process and engage in the marital plan before the actual marriage. 

If you will think with me for a moment, Hollywood gives us a view of what looking for love in all the wrong places looks like on a long-term basis. Most relationships don’t last. Actually, Hollywood sets people up to expect far beyond reality. Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, part of the problem is we’re looking to the wrong relationship to fill the empty place in our hearts where we have a longing to be loved and pursued?

God gives us a passionate example of His relationship with us and He chose marriage as the metaphor. I share in greater detail in my first book: GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE how God uses marriage as a metaphor of our relationship with Jesus. Marriage is a beautiful portrait of the amazing love of God that He desires that we experience in Him. 

The Book of Solomon portrays a beautiful love story. However, when we move to the Book of Hosea, we find a very different story. It’s not a perfect relationship with roses and young love. As a matter of fact, if you run out today and buy roses for your beloved, if you are not careful, the roses can freeze due to the cold weather outside. 

We must learn not to allow the outside circumstances of life and wrong associations to damage our relationship with our beloved. Listening to and watching the wrong things, or even listening to people with wrong thinking in life can harm our personal relationships. 

The Book of Hosea is definitely not a picture of wholeness and fidelity. God chose this relationship that is lacking, broken and filled with infidelity—the marriage of the prophet Hosea and Gomer, who behaved as a prostitute, to reveal a much bigger picture to you and I of His redemptive love. 

You might be surprised if you have never read the Book of Hosea when you pay attention to what the Lord said: 

“When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, He said to him, ‘Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods’ (Hosea 1:2). 

This might sound a little strange to you and it will certainly get your attention. It is the love of God that constrains us. He captures us through His amazing redemptive love and then we are captivated for the rest of our lives as we abide in His sweet presence through fellowship. 

God saw the problem. He sees all. God uses the marriage to paint a beautifully illustrated portrait of a life filled with fractures and problems, yet the divine and amazing love of the Father God and His pursuit of His children. 

At some point in everyone’s life, we have all behaved much like Gomer in some area. Even with all our junk, God still loves us and desires to be in relationship with us. That is an amazing love, my friend. All have acted like prostitutes in turning from God in one area or another at some point in time. 

We find a literal marriage illustration in the first three chapters of Hosea of God’s relationship with us. 

The Blood of Jesus paid for all the sins of the whole world. This was before we were actually born. We have a Blood Covenant with God that cannot be annulled. It is everlasting. 

God is obviously showing His extraordinary love and grace. He continues to take His people back even when they betray Him. This is a beautiful illustration of the redemptive love of God. He will ask Hosea to take Gomer back time and time again. God continues to pursue. 

No matter what we have done, no matter how sinful we are in the eyes of God, He still pursues us because of WHO HE IS and who He has designed us to be through His Son Jesus. It’s because of His Mercy and Grace! 

Even when we run away from Him, God still pursues us. He sets our days with divine interruptions so that we can’t help but see His amazing love that is waiting. 

He draws us through His everlasting love. He calls out to us. Even when we are full of pain, hurt and sometimes experiencing anger, He still knows exactly where we are and wants to bring total healing. He wants to make us whole or complete in Him. 

Like Hosea, God is still pursing His children—like a faithful husband who pursues a wife he adores and loves. This is a greater picture than I have ever seen on any Valentine’s Day card—and it is the only love that can fill the void that was placed in you and I in the first place. It is a place for God. It is the only place where all our needs can be truly met. 

While many are running to dating services, some are going to bars to look for Mr. or Mrs. Right. Some are going to church, not to seek the Lord, but to find a mate. We’re often looking for a relationship to fill the deepest need that can only be filled by God. All have been created to need love and be pursued. All need affirmation. 

Stop looking in all the wrong places for love, and learn to be amazed by God’s love. In the process, you may also meet a great person here on earth that loves God and you too. God knows how to orchestrate the days of our lives and bring a special person across our path for destiny. First and foremost our most important relationship will be with Jesus, our beloved. 

Ultimately, Jesus is the greatest love you will ever find and receive. His love overshadows every hurt and longing of your soul. It is the most magnificent love that goes beyond what words can describe. It is the greatest romance and the BIBLE is God’s love letter to us all. God goes to extraordinary measures to reveal Himself to ordinary people—that includes us all! 

HE LOVES YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE! 

DEBORAH