Life update

I have been asked what I am doing when I graduate hundreds of times in the past month and a half. I feel as if every person that I have seen has asked me. It's not a bad thing at all, I love to try and fill people in but when you don't know exactly what you are doing it can be tough. 

I remember when I graduated high school, and everybody would ask where I was going to school and what I was going to study. It was a little easier to answer a question that was only about my next four years rather than my whole life. I knew where I was going to go to college (obviously) but when I was asked what I was going to study I was undecided. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with my life. 

I remember thinking that I wanted to be a physical therapist. Since I had had plenty of experience seeing physical therapists for my injuries I thought that it was a good plan. Then I really looked into it and saw that it was not for me. I didn't want to major in anything business related because I had 0 knowledge. I didn't think I was smart enough to get a business degree. So I went into college trusting that God had a plan for me and that something would get figured out...

Fast forward four years and on Saturday I will be graduating with two degrees. A bachelors degree in both Business Administration and Sports Management. I also am getting a concentration in Marketing. God provided! I trusted that it would all work out and it did. 

When I look at these two significant seasons in my life they are similar and contrasting. I knew where I was going after high school but didn't know what I would be doing. At this point, I don't know where I will go but I know the field of work that I will most likely be in. 

There is a significant similarity. I was not worried about the future either time because I know who holds my future and that is God. 

It is a bit scary though, I will have to be making a very important decision here in the next month. That is where I am going to work. 

Hopefully I can answer a question that a lot of people in my life have been wondering about. What's next? 

I have two standing offers right now. The first offer I got is from a sports company in Kunming, China. That company is one that I have worked with the past two summers when I have spent time in China. They are looking for someone to move over there for a year and help run the company. This is a very intriguing opportunity to me. I love China and the people over there dearly. Since my first time visiting, the people have had a place in my heart. I also know a fair deal about sports and to be able to combine my love for the people and sports would be fulfilling. With a Sports Management degree and I would get a ton of experience that would be great if I am looking to work in sports. 

My second offer is from a Marketing Firm in Indianapolis. I interviewed there a couple of weeks ago and it sees like a good opportunity for me. If I were to take that job I would begin as an account executive. The people there were great and right now I told them I need some time to evaluate my options. 

Then there are a a handful of other companies that I am in the interview process with/waiting to hear back from. One of those companies is a large manufacturing corporation that I interned with this past summer. It's a company that I wanted to be a part of since day 1. I interviewed for a Leader in Training position. An LIT starts from the bottom up in the company to learn how everything works. I would be an LIT for a couple of months so that I can could a good grip on how the business works. This excites me because I don't know exactly what I want to do, and I want to learn as much as I possibly can. It's also great experience and would be a great fit for me getting my professional career started. 

I have also been in constant contact with a smaller business in the area. A business co-owed by two individuals. One of the owners sons is being promoted to VP so they are looking for someone to fill his role and I guess they think very highly of me and I am honored. I have heard nothing but amazing things about both the owner and his son from some people who's opinions really mean a lot to me. To hear such good things about those two is very encouraging to me. This company is waiting for me to hear back from the other before we go any further. A small business could be a good fit as well. 

God is so good. I had this post all typed up and was going to post it later. It's wild, I just received a call from a financial planning company that in interested in me. They have a four year training program that sounds right up my ally. I don't know much about financial planning, but it is something I would be curious to learn more about. It's amazing how an opportunity can come out of nowhere just like that. This company has a partnership with the Crossroads League and the commissioner of the league recommended me along with five other people for possible positions. One of the things I appreciated about the company is that they assured me that if I go to China, I will have a spot when I come back. I am excited to have another possible opportunity at hand.

For me, I am not worried about what is next. At times I have been, but am quickly reminded by close friends that there is nothing to worry about. I also look back at my entire life and God has always been faithful and has never failed me. Everything I have gone through has been for a reason and I know that will be how my entire life will be. I am in a spot where I am excited about what is next. 

Here is the timeline for me. I graduate on Saturday and I will be moving back to Ohio with my parents on Sunday. I will be in Ohio for the month of May. We are going out West on a family vacation May 14th-21st. I hope to know where I am going to begin my career by the end of May. I would prefer to start working in June. If that is the case, I will be moving back to Indiana. Which I would love. 

I hope this post was able to fill you in a little bit on my life and where things are heading. I was talking to one of my friends yesterday about how weird it is that nothing from here on out is legitimately planned. It doesn't seem like school should be over. I feel like I am just going home for the summer, but my whole life is ahead of me and I could not be more excited for what is next. I am excited for you to be a part of it. 

The taco gang

Would you believe me if I told you that three people could change my life in less than a months time? I am going to write a story to you telling you about how three people had an impact on my life greater than any words that I could ever use to write with. These wonderful people capped off my Bethel experience in a way better than anything I could come up with myself.

Here is a story about the taco gang...

It was Super Bowl Sunday. Brooke Conrady one of my closest friends invited me over to her house with a bunch of people I have never met before to watch the Super Bowl. For me, I like my Sundays to have a mix of productivity and rest. I enjoy getting up early and going to church, taking a nap and then grinding on homework and working out later in the night. Sundays are also days where I usually stick to myself and do my own thing. I was playing around with the idea to go to Brooke's in my head all day and she finally convinced me to go. I think what sold me was that there was going to be food. But in all actuality I wanted to make some new friends. I arrived at Brooke's and found myself a place on the couch because I had a paper to write along with a Spanish test to study for. I was stressing out about my Spanish test because I am well below average when it comes to Spanish. I was sitting on the couch and in the chair right next to me was Hannah Darling. I had seen Hannah a bunch of times on campus but had never talked to her before. She asked me what I was studying and I told her Spanish. With excitement she told me that she was a Spanish tutor. Heck yeah. I told myself that I was going to be just fine. After about 5 minutes of talking she created the perfect cheat sheet for me to study from and that helped me to well on the test. Hannah and I talked a lot throughout the game and I knew that I had made a new friend that night.

Now a little back story here. When I came to Bethel my freshmen year, I remember Coach Mike Lightfoot telling the basketball team how important relationships are. Not only the relationships with guys on the team but relationships with other people on campus. Ever since he told me that, I made it a priority to make some friends that weren't on the basketball team. It's a thing here for basketball players to only hang with basketball players, soccer to hang only with soccer, or music majors to only hangout with music majors, etc. Sometimes it's just easier that way. It's easier because as humans we like to hang out with people and be friends with them if they have the same interests. It can be difficult to be friends with girls at Bethel as well. At a place like Bethel, if you hang out with a girl who you are just friends with, everybody thinks you are dating. I don't like that it's that way, but it's just the way it has been the entire time I have been here.

If you take anything aways from that last paragraph, I want you to understand that this is sometimes a hard place for people who are not alike to get along and spend time tougher. There can be a lot of judgment that swirls around and opinions from people that you just have to forget about.

My new friend Hannah, is on the softball team and you normally don't see a basketball player and a softball player be friends and spend time together. Well, I am Luke Fisher the person. Not Luke Fisher the basketball player. God just blessed me with the opportunity to play basketball and meet some amazing people doing so. Hannah Darling is not Hannah the softball player. Hannah Darling is Hannah Darling, one of the most wonderful people that I have met while I have been here. I pushed the stereotype aside and we became close friends due to our time together while she was tutoring me.

So who is the next part of the taco gang? My man Elijah Kerr. Elijah and I have been cool all year. We see each other, dap each other up, have some small talk and go on with our day. One of the things that I noticed about Elijah is that we seemed to be a lot alike. He wasn't just hanging out with soccer players all the time. He clearly put in the effort with other people on campus and it shows. Elijah and I had two classes together this semester, Business Policy and Public Relations. At Bethel, class sizes are small, but at the same time, you really only notice who sits around you in class. For almost the entire semester we had PR together but never really talked that much in it. The last month and a half we have been working on a group project and my group sat in front of Elijah's so we were able to talk quite a bit. Those small conversations led to much more. We have done homework and studied together and I have really enjoyed getting to know him more and more.  Elijah is a cool dude. We have a lot in common and I am thankful for how close we have gotten this semester.

Allie Schweigert rounds out the taco gang. I had see her around all of the time but we never had said anything to each other because we really didn't have anything to say. I mean we had said hi but nothing else really. I had heard cool things about her but really didn't know what she was like. Back at midterms, I was standing up in the front of class waiting to turn in my midterm and she was right behind me. Allie is close friends with Ariana who was one of the girls who was in the car with me back in December when I slid all over the place on the toll road driving to Bethel. Ari had told Allie about what had happened to us, so Allie asked me about it when we were turning in our midterms. I remember thinking, I want to be friends with her! So a couple more weeks went by with just a little small talk here and there but nothing too deep. One night I decided to go to the coffee shop to study some Spanish and I saw that Allie was in there. I had sat a table right behind her and she asked me what I was studying and I told her Spanish and she insisted that she help me in whatever way that she could. We ended up sitting and chatting for about an hour and a half that night getting to know each other and really starting a new friendship. It was a lot of fun. Allie is a delight be around and to spend time with. One thing I have to share with you about Allie is that when I heard back about a job that I didn't get, she went out of her way to drive to Krispy Kreme and buy me a couple donuts. With the donuts she wrote me a card encouraging me to "donut worry about it." I knew right after that, I was going to have to keep these friends around and not ever let them go. A random act of kindness can open the floodgates to a blessing of a friendship.

So it turns out, we all had Public Relations together. The groups in class that I was telling you all about, Elijah, Hannah, and Allie were all in the same group that sat right behind me. I didn't know that Elijah was good friends with Hannah and Allie. We would sit in class and the four of us would sit, talk and laugh about so many things. I just thought it was a special class and we would never actually hang outside of class. I thought that because that is how things are sometimes. You meet some cool people in class and then nothing really happens. God has different plans.

I won't forget this day. It was a Thursday and I had promised Hannah that I would buy her some tacos because she sacrificed a lot of time to help me study for my Spanish quizzes and tests. We were planning to go get tacos that night and when we were confirming our plans in class, Allie seemed super interested in going as well. So the three of us were going to go. There was one thing missing. We couldn't leave out Elijah. He was itching to go as well. So we made plans. All four of us were going to get tacos together. I remember showing up and I was so excited to get to know these three wonderful people a little better. My excitement was greeted with nervousness. I didn't know much about these three. What were we going to talk about at dinner? Were we going to run out of things to say? As soon as we sat down at the table we were a riot from the very beginning. Instant chemistry was happening between all of us. We were having so much fun. I was so fulfilled because I had gotten to know some other people who weren't like me a lot better. I never thought that I would be out to dinner with those three and it happened. During dinner we were already talking about what was next.

I want to point out that this post isn't only about the taco gang. They played a huge roll in me meeting so many wonderful people the past month and half. Without the taco gang I would have left Bethel with a cup that was only half full.

Hannah is an RA in her building and every Sunday she cooks meals for people and it's pretty much an open invite. She invited me, Elijah, and Allie and you betcha I was going. I got there and there were lots of people I didn't know. Mahri, who is Hannah's roommate was one of those people. She is wonderful! She has made so much popcorn for me whenever we go over to their room to hang out. I was blown away by how amazing of hosts Hannah and Mahri were. They wanted everyone to come. That was eye opening to me, because I would normally just invite the people I know the best, but they were the total opposite. It was awesome. For a college student to buy that many groceries for a handful of people was really cool to see. I remember sitting in Hannah and Mahri's room that night being full and yet again, very fulfilled. This feeling of fulfillment seemed to be a common feeling I would get while I was hanging with all of these great people. I believe that feeling came from a feeling of longing. I have made many amazing friends during my time year at Bethel but these people are the friend's I've been praying for.

Besides our Sunday meals, it has been hard to find time for all of us to hangout together. We are all involved in a lot of things and this is the busiest time of year so the Sundays when we got to hang out were even that much more special. With the taco gang we have clean fun. We all have our levels of fun that we have with different friends. But good and clean fun doesn't compare to any other sort of fun. Clean fun is like the fun you have with your parents and family friends. I think that is some of the funnest times are when you're around your family because you aren't putting on any sort of front for the other people that you are hanging out with.

The taco gang is supportive and encouraging of one another. If we need to have a serious talk I know that I could sit down with any of them and be real, genuine, authentic and my real-self. There have bee times this past month where I have needed someone to talk to about something and I know that I can pick up my phone and call or FaceTime any one of those three.

One of the things that has made me sad is we all got super close at the end of the school year. But I have been told many times over and over again that the end is what matters more than the beginning. When I turned in my last final of undergrad today I was honestly sad. I was happy to be done with  school, but to think about this chapter coming to an end brought tears to my eyes. My eyes didn't just get watery. I had tears trickling down my cheeks when I got back to my room after I had turned in my final. I was sad because I learned how fulfilling relationships are to the fullest. I praise God for brining so many wonderful people to Bethel but specifically for the taco gang. To get close with a group of three people who had so many other friends that I got to meet and become friends with was about as uplifting and fulfilling as it gets.

The last month my life has really changed because of the people here at Bethel. To God be the glory. For anybody who has more school left, try to meet as many people as you possibly can. Be a social butterfly. Don't sit in your room all day. Get out, put yourself in situations where you will be around people and forced to interact with people. I have spent time in the coffee shop here at Bethel everyday because I know that I will see people I know and will be able to talk to whoever walks through those doors. Even though I sometimes sit and am locked into writing a blog post like I am right now. In this life you will experience a great deal of fulfillment when you focus on people. You could be the smartest person ever, the greatest musician, the best athlete but if you don't pour into the lives of other people what are you doing with your life? Relationships with other people lead to happiness.

With undergrad being over and graduation on Saturday, I can wholeheartedly say that I am leaving Bethel with a full cup. Before the taco gang it was half way. The taco gang filled up those finishing touches that couldn't have been filled at a better time.

Be intentional, be open, share friends, invite new people, be open, be honest, do fun things, choose to hang out with some new friends rather than sticking to what you're used to. There is power in exploring new things such as seeking out as many relationships with people as possible. We were created to be relational human beings.

Take chances and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. On Saturday I was cleaning my room and doing laundry when one of my new friends called me asking to get some froyo and pizza with a group of people from church. I was in the middle of laundry so I really didn't want to leave. I was also a little bit intimidated by the fact that I only new one person who has going to be there. My friend called me again, and I knew that was a sign that I needed to go. I thought to myself... my time here at Bethel is almost over and I need to try and meet as many people as possible before it's over. Life is short and you never know when your life could end. I wish that I would've been more intentional because of all the people I met the last couple weeks but then again, I don't think I would've learned as valuable of a lesson. My cup also might not have been full when I left.

Lastly, I want you all to understand that people are awesome. Love others. Your life will change according to how much effort you put into getting to know other people.

There is always someone

Before I get started with this post, I just want to inform you that this will most likely be the only time I post this week. It is the final week of college for me and there is a lot of work that needs to be done from right now up until Friday afternoon. It will be best for me if I don't write until the weekend. I want to be able to enjoy this last week the best that I can.


One of the things that encouraged me at church yesterday was not actually related to anything about Easter. It was when our pastor was welcoming guest at the beginning of the service. He reminded people at the church that they are always being prayed for. Whether you know it or not someone is always praying for you.

I have come to realize that in the past couple weeks that I have had people that I know approach me and tell me that they have been praying for me for years. We all have a couple people that are a given, like our parents or youth pastors. But trust me when I say, you are prayed for every single day and you probably don't even realize it.

There are two things that come to mind when I think about others praying for me. The first is that God is good. When somebody tells me that they pray for me everyday, I really think about that and let it settle in and it all makes sense. Without those prayers from others, I would not be the person that I am today. The second thing is a feeling of self-worth. Knowing that somebody is always praying for me makes me feel loved and cared for from the people around me.

There are people we know who pray for us on a daily basis and people that we don't know. There is always a group of people from churches praying for college kids somewhere.

I encourage you to remember that you are always being prayed for. Whether you believe it or not, there is someone who is praying for you every day. You are loved, cared for, and appreciated from others around you. Believe that. There is so much power in knowing that and being aware of how much you matter.

The unholy trinity

The anti-christ, beasts, and the unholy trinity are all very real things that we should be aware of. In Revelation chapter 13, John writes about two beasts very specifically. The beast was initially identified with Rome, because the Roman empire, in its early days, encouraged an evil lifestyle, persecuted believers, and opposed God and his followers. The beast also symbolizes the antichrist-not Satan, but someone under Satan's power and control.

Did you know that there is an unholy trinity? I am sure that most of you know that there is a Holy Trinity consisting of the God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Revelation chapter 13 introduces Satan's two evil accomplices: the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. Together, the three evil beings form an unholy trinity in direct opposition to the holy Trinity.

When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, he wanted to show his power by turning stones into bread, to do miracles by jumping from a high place, and to gain political power by worshipping him. Satan's plan was to rule the world through Jesus, but Jesus refused to do Satan's bidding. When Jesus said no to this, Satan turns to the beasts. To the beast of the sea he gives political power. To the beast of the earth he gives power to do miracles. Both of the beasts work together to capture the control of the whole world. This unholy trinity-unite in a desperate attempt to overthrown God, but their efforts and doomed to failure.

While this is happening, people are impressed by power and will follow those who display it forcefully or offer it to their followers. But those who follow the beast will lonely be fooling themselves: He will use his power to manipulate others, to point to himself, and to promote evil plans. God, by contrast, uses his infinitely greater power to love and to build up. Don't be mislead by claims of greater miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ.

One thing that I find interesting is that the power given to the beasts will be limited by God. He will allow the beast to exercise authority only for a short time. Even while the beast is in power, God will still be control.

The beast will conquer God's people and rule over them, but he will not be able to harm them spiritually. He will establish worldwide dominance and remind that everyone worship him. And many will worship him-everyone except true believers. Refusal to worship the beast will result in temporary suffering for God's people, but they will be rewarded with eternal life in the end.

This post was more information rather than encouragement and I did it on purpose. Sometimes we have to know things and understand things in such a way that we can build up what we know and use the information to be encouraged or to find ways to be encouraged.

A lot of the time, information leads to awarenesses. When we learn things, we become more aware of what is going on around us. Now that you have more information about the unholy trinity, I hope you are more aware of it.

Although this post isn't very uplifting, I believe that it is necessary to read about topics like this.

Does something feel stale or am I believing a lie?

Every morning, I try to wake up between 7:15 & 7:30. I love to get the day started early and in the right way. I wake up, shower, get dressed and head to the coffee shop on campus to read my Bible and blog. Luckily, I don't have an 8am class so I can do this every morning. I love this routine, it's the perfect way to start the day for me.

This morning I got to the coffee shop, opened my Bible to the book of Revelation, opened my journal and just sat and looked at it. Something didn't feel right in both my mind and my heart.

Every time I journal I write down a question that I have and this question can be about anything.

Here was my question for today: Does something feel stale or am I believing a lie?

As I was sitting here thinking about that question, it hit me. Nothing is wrong with the faith that I have in the Lord. I am being lied to by Satan and I am experiencing spiritual warfare. One of the things that I have came to realize in my walk with Christ is that whenever I am on a spiritual high, or talk about having victory in Christ, I experience spiritual warfare more than usual.

Satan can't stand when I talk about Christ winning the battle when he died on the cross for our sins.

The apostle Paul tells us that we are in a spiritual battle. John says that the war is still being waged, but the outcome has already been determined. Satan and his followers have been defeated and will be destroyed. Nevertheless, Satan is battling daily to bring more into his ranks and to keep his own from defecting to God's side. Those who belong to Christ have gone into battle on God's side, and he has guaranteed them victory. God will not lose the warm but we must make certain not to lose the battle for our own souls. Don't waver in your commitment to Christ. A great spiritual battle is being fought, and there is not time for indecision.

God will not lose the battle but we can still lose the battle when we fall into the trap of believing Satan's lies. For example, when I was sitting here earlier feeling like my faith was stale, I could have believed that it actually was and my day would have been ruined because I would be believing in a lie.

I believe that it is SO important to be aware that there is spiritual warfare going on all of the time. I am not an expert on the topic and I really don't know that much besides the fact that Satan is trying to make us turn from God all of the time.

When I was sitting here this morning trying to figure out what was going on, I was sad and down. When I realized that it was spiritually warfare I immediately felt a huge weight lifted off of my chest. I really can't put into words how it felt. It was an extremely uplifting feeling.

Another lie that I feel like I am being told is that this blog isn't doing the trick. I say I don't do it for the views and I don't. That isn't the purpose. But right now, views are at an all time low. I spend my mornings putting together something to encourage and uplift others and enjoy when people get to read it. The lie I am being told is that what I am writing isn't making an impact because not many people are reading it. The truth is that I believe one person needs to read what I write everyday, and without this blog I wouldn't be at the place I am at spiritually. Without the blog, I don't know how I would get to experience true fulfillment.

I warn you to be on the lookout for spiritually warfare. The secret to defeating it is to be aware and to know about it. As believers we know we already won, we just have to remember that. Next time you are in a place where you are down, sad, stressed, or depressed, think about what is really going on. Things are never as bad at they seem.

The two witnesses

In Revelation chapter 11, John appoints two witnesses. These two witnesses are great representatives of every believer. I am sharing this with you today to encourage you to share with others what Jesus has done in your life.

These two witnesses bear strong resemblance to Moses and Elijah, two of God's mighty prophets. With God's power, Moses called plagues down upon the nation of Egypt. Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal. Both of these men appeared with Christ at his transfiguration.

I have never called any plagues down and you probably haven't either but we do have one thing in common with these prophets and that is we both believe in the story of Jesus Christ.

The Two Witnesses

And I will appoint my witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. They are  "the olive trees" and the two lampstands, and they strand before the Lord on earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their months and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have the power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. 

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city-which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt-where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entreated them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a loud, while their enemies looked on. (Revelation 11:3-12)

These two witnesses are the perfect example for believers. They were believers, they witnessed, experienced death, were tormented and then went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched.

As representatives of every believer who has witnessed for Jesus Christ, the two final, faithful witnesses are a picture of both invincibility and vulnerability. They win, they lose, they win again. Truth remains victorious, even though human channels fall. Their message-and God's plan-march on in spite of death, for even death proves to be a defeated foe.

"They win, they lose, they win again." I love that. We win when we commit to following Jesus and believe that he died on the cross for our sins. As soon we we make that decision we are on the winning team.

Let me ask you this, knowing that we are bound to eternal victory, how does that affect the way you think about sharing what Jesus has done in your life with others? Seldom we face the possibility of death when we share our faith. Why should Satan threaten our lives when fear of embarrassment or rejection is enough to keep us silent? But if Jesus has truly changed our lives, we will find a way to let others know. Not to witness represents more than just fear; it also reveals selfishness. Have those near you heard what Jesus has done for you?

Sharing what Jesus has done in your life is something that is hard for lots of people. It's as hard as it is for me for anyone else. I love talking about my faith when I am asked about it. I am not very good at being the who brings it up out of nowhere. If I can think of one major area where I want to approve on, it is sharing what Jesus has done in my life with others.

If I can remember this, it changes everything: "they win, they lose, they win again."

This is a challenge to you and a challenge to me to share what Jesus has done in your life with at least one person this week. Try to do it face to face. You could text somebody if you want but that is not as powerful as speaking about it face to face. If you don't know how to start that conversation, begin with asking the other person what Jesus has done in their life. I pray that you are able to have some conversations like that this week.

Sour honey

Think of some of your favorite TV series that you cannot get enough of. When I think of my favorite TV series I think of the hit series, House of Cards. One of the things that intrigued me the most about that show was the anticipation of what was going to happen next. There were scandals happening every episode and the creators of the show new how to end each episode leaving the audience wanting more.

I loved House of Cards because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen the next episode. Episode after episode I was drawn to my computer screen because of the anticipation that I had.

I feel the same way about my Bible. There are so many amazing stories in there that all lead up to one thing and that is Jesus Christ coming back.

Remember the last two posts I had about the angels sounding their trumpets and talking about the partial judgments? Well in Revelation chapter 10, the seventh angel appears.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding the little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planned his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." (Revelation 10:1-5)

The purpose of the angel was to announce the final judgments on the earth. This powerful angel conveyed his high rank and his authority from God by straddling the land and the sea. His huge size contrasts with the smallness of God's enemies. When things are going bad in our lives, remember that this angel represents the kind go power that is on your side.

When the seventh angel finally sounds his horn, the mystery of God will be revealed. Throughout history people have wanted to know what is going to happen in the future. God revels some of what will happen in the book of Revelation. But John was stopped from revealing certain parts of his vision.

Thinking about it that way, I think of our lives. Sometimes it seems like the path God wants us on is well lit and easy to follow. Other times, the path is hard to follow because we don't know everything. When we are in the state, we long for a way to figure things out because we care about our futures.

Later on in chapter 10, John hears a voice from heaven that tells him to go take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land. So John went to the angel and asked him for the little scroll...

He said to me, "Take it and eat is. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. (Revelation 10:9-10)

John ate the scroll that contained the mystery of God because he was instructed to do so. Sometimes we might have to do the most obscure things for God in order to grown and learn about the things we need to and want too.

God's word is sweet to us as believers because it brings encouragement, but it sours our stomach because of the coming judgment we must pronounce on unbelievers.

So what do I want you to a take away form this? God has revealed all we need to know to live for him now. In our desire to be ready for the end, we must not place more emphasis on speculation about the last days than on living for God while we wait.