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Enough Is Enough
By Andy Coticchio
Excerpted from Life on the Highest Plane – Ruth Paxson (1928):
Is it any wonder that Satan hates the truth of the Lord’s return and that he does all within his power to discredit, discourage and destroy those who hold and preach this blessed hope? He has no place for the second coming of the Lord in his “gospel” and his “ministers” either rail at or ridicule those who have it in theirs.
One reason why we may well believe that we are in the last days is the fact of the violent and venomous attacks of Satan’s instruments upon this glorious truth on the one hand and the growing preciousness and deepening influence of this hope upon those who love His appearing on the other.
With such a glorious prospect before the believer, one would expect him to have just one possible attitude toward our Lord’s return ~that of eager expectancy and ardent desire. Yet strange to say there are four very evident attitudes manifested in the professing church toward this blessed hope; aggressive hostility, listless apathy, fearful apprehension and loving expectancy. Some hate it; some are totally ignorant of it; some are afraid of it and some love it. In which group you find yourself?
God shows very clearly in Scripture what is the attitude of the spiritual man toward our Lord’s return. May He now speak to the heart of every reader through His own Word.
2 Peter 1:19,“We have also a more sure word of prophecy: where unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” (KJV)
Take heed. Think of how much both of the Old and New Testament is devoted to prophecy ~the foretelling of things to come. God tells us here that these prophetic words are reliable, they will most assuredly come to pass. Should we not then give heed to that which God thinks to be of such tremendous importance?
Surely to be apathetic to that to which God commands us “to give attention with heart intentness” would be sin. In these dark days what can so truly keep us from depression over conditions in the world and in the church and from discouragement over ourselves and our work as to concentrate our attention upon and become absorbed with the sure word of prophecy that shines like a light in the darkness?
Words of Grace for Strength
In this verse (2 Peter 1:19), Peter is telling us the importance of God’s Prophetic Word… we are to take heed, which means to “pay attention” to it. This is the first thing we need to examine as it relates to our attitude about our Lord’s return.
In 2 Peter 1:16-19 he shares his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and gives us insight into his understanding of the importance of what transpired there as it related to the Word of God.
“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-19 NKJV).
In verse 18 Peter recalls his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, and how the voice of God was confirmation of the Word of God written by the Old Testament prophets about Jesus (Numbers 24:17, Psalm 96:13, Isaiah 60:1-2, Malachi 4:1-2, etc…), who is the Word and the Light(John 1:1-5).
Old Testament Prophecy is light shining in the darkness like a lamp (Psalm 119:105). Scripture speaks of the coming day (Romans 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10) of Christ’s return when a lamp will no longer be needed because the Morning Star will have come (2 Peter 1:19).
So just as a lamp’s light illuminates until the coming of the morning light, Prophecy illuminates the return of Jesus as “the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Until Christ returns we are to let the Word of God illuminate our hearts to all that He plansfor us here, and all that will be when He comes.
Why is it that only some who read the Word of God see the light shining through it,see enough to eagerly want to take heed of what we are told through the teachings ofprophecy, see enough to take heed and hopefully turn and teach it to others that they may take heed as well.
Those who seek the truth of God in earnest fashion will be drawn closer by Him who wishes us to take heed; drawn close enough that by thegrace of God we will eagerly seek and be able to take heed of the words that are Truth. And by His grace, the light illuminating our hearts may shine through likea dawning sunrise to light the path for others to take heed as well.
God’s Prophetic Word is a shining Lamp (Psalm 119:105) for those who will use it to illuminate the darkness of this present world. The rising of the morning star pictures Christ’s coming for His Church and portends the beginning of the Day of the Lord. So Peter is telling us in this passage to pay attention to the Prophetic Word; read it, study it, hide it in our hearts because it is the only thing which will shine the light of Christ on this dark world until He appears in the clouds and calls His bride, His Church, home to heaven.
In doing this, we place ourselves among those whose attitude is one of “loving expectancy and ardent desire” as it relates to our Lord’s return. If one has truly accepted Christ as his personal Savior there is no reason to hate or fear His return.
Nor is there any excuse for being ignorant of it. Take heed pay attention. For the timing is upon us, there is nothing left to be seen or to pass by in prophetic fulfillment. The return of Jesus Christ for His Church is imminent, the Day of the Lord is near, and:
Jesus is Coming Soon!
Even So Come.
Dr. Tuck Whitaker and Andy Coticchio
Rafter Cross Ministries
And He said to them,“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).
Let yourconductbewithout covetousness;becontent with such things as you have. For He Himself has said,“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything thatisyour neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).
The Bible has plenty to say on the topic of covetousness, above are a few verses. The biblical concept of covetousness centers in not only on the desire to have things we do not possess, but the desire for things others possess, and especially things possessed by those close to you.
It ties up greed and envy in an ugly little package and it is a package sitting on your front doorstep. We want things; and since we see those closest to us, we especially want the things our friends and neighbors have—or others in our family.
What makes covetousness especially harmful is not only the greed for things, but the hurt it would cause if you were to try to satisfy the desire by taking something away from someone close to you. The issue of covetousness is addressed in the tenth commandment.
I think the Lord put it there in the event someone (like any of us) were working through the list and feeling pretty good that you got through nine and were doing fine.
I think the tenth one is almost like an umbrella statement for when someone thinks theyhave pretty much lined up with and are behaving as the Lord would want them. If you are honest with yourself (and you know you cannot fool the Lord), you know you are not going to get through the tenth commandment unscathed, most likely you will be pretty banged up before you are done reading it.
Luke 12:22-31:
“Then He said to His disciples,‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.Life is more than food, and the body is morethan clothing.Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
If you then are not able to dotheleast, why are you anxious for the rest?Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much morewill He clotheyou, Oyouof little faith?
And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.But seek the kingdom of God, and all these thingsshall be added to you.’”
The real tragedy of covetousness comes through in the above passage out of Luke. It is thebehavior of the world, not of a child of God. The Lord is abundant in His provision of our needs, even if He is ignoring our wants. We get enough to get by in this world as the Lord would have us live in it if we only trust in Him.
The Lord’s provision is enough for it is what He would have for us. How could one of His children want more? I am not saying there isn’t hunger or pain or need; a trial of such nature may be in the Lord’s will for us as He molds us and teaches us, or uses us to minister to and reach others. But by faith we need walk as though the Lord has provided enough for us, for in His perfect will He has.
If you are trying to satisfy your wants and desires, you are in for a world of hurt as you enter a world filled with covetousness. It is filled with your covetousness, and that of those around you seeking to slake their own worldly thirsts and satisfy their earthly hungers. A bunch of highly motivated and completely unsatisfied people seeking out that which counters the Lord’s purposes and openly defies His will.
A circular life for you are not going to get anywhere but you will spend much time and effort going round and round. The only way out of that rut is to meet the Lord on His terms and follow His path.
Living a life of faith that is satisfied with the provision of the Lord may not necessarily protect you from the covetousness of others. But you have what others cannot take away. Your salvation. Your personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior. Your knowledge, steeped in your faith, which the Lord will provide foryou allowing you to prevail through the trials of this earthly journey.
Enough is enough when it comes from the Lord. Seek Him out and pray for the wisdom and discernment to see that in your life. Learn that enough is enough. For those who seek out their wants, and chase futilely after them will one day try the Lord’s patience to the point at which He may well say “Enough is enough!”
Then they may well learn that context is everything.
Andy Coticchio
Rafter Cross Ministries
http://www.raptureready.com/soap2/wc71.html
Read more great articles at Rapture Ready:
“Have you ever seen a false Buddha or false Muhammad? – Counterfeit verifies the Truth.”
Satan opposes the things of God and tries to deceive, because he is at war with basic truths, i.e., is fighting something quite real. Otherwise, it would be barking at the wind, all the incessant struggle and opposition to God, throughout even the ages, a whole lot of nothing: who struggles and goes to great lengths to war over and with nothing real? Reminds one of the Shakespeare line from Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
That forces of evil are motivated to counterfeit is testimony to the truth. Think about money, currency: who would counterfeit currency that isn’t real and of real value? Have you ever heard of anybody counterfeiting anything unreal and of no value? Why bother, right? The same is true of persecution of Christians, anti-Semitism, the campaign to deceive, bury God in the hearts and minds of people in all the media, destroy morality: all these things are evidence of a very real God and truths, very evidence of the reality of our holy Lord, in that He is so vehemently hated and fought against.
This is actually the meaning behind somebody who must be doing something right in these statements of our Lord Jesus, lies, scorn and persecution evidence of one abiding in truth, the joy of having something in you found worthy of how our Lord was treated and His prophets by those evil,
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
John 15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
” He (Satan) has no place for the second coming of the Lord in his “gospel” and his “ministers” either rail at or ridicule those who have it in theirs.”
What you mean as opposed to Christians beating old people senseless and burning them alive for disagreeing with you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5P0KCxl9o8
Think we could do with some more railing and ridiculing and less monstrous acts of brutality and murder.