The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. Proverbs 16:21

The world has survived the Y2K crisis, and many people have happily slumped back into their usual routines with sighs of relief. No crisis at the local utilities or bank or grocery store, so no problem, right?

Wrong! There are still plenty of problems. Man's inhumanity to man is increasing with no end in sight. Much of it is due to pride, greed, and self-centeredness in how we treat each other. From ethnic cleansing to children who die due to a parent's carelessness, we just can't get our acts together. We did a better job straightening out the computer systems running our societies than we did straightening out the people forming our societies.

Computers follow instructions given to them to the letter, but people have to be persuaded to give up sinful, lawless ways. Christians are to persuade other people to join God's family by sweet talk but straight talk as well. God has commanded His children to spread the Word He gave us of the offer of a free pardon for sins and adoption into His family before the Y6K problem arrives. He is a Creator who wants His creatures to join His family voluntarily, not by force. He will forgive and cleanse you from sin while teaching you the way you should have handled the situation where you sinned. He wants you to understand the costs as well as the benefits of the adoption as well.

Being born again doesn't mean that all your problems will disappear. In fact, those problems may multiply and worsen as our enemy Satan launches attacks on the new Christian. However, the momentary suffering we must endure will be replaced by an infinitely more glorious life at the end of the civil war when Satan and his followers are finally confined for eternity where they can't harm anyone ever again.

It can be hard to wait for the promises of God when your circumstances are difficult and the future looks bleak. How we can long that God had taken us to Heaven the instant we were saved, instead of leaving us here to follow Him along a path that is often dark and dangerous.

We must remember that we are not the only one whom God is concerned about. Past saints sighed for Heaven, too, but the delay in Christ's coming meant more time for us to be saved. There must be more saints still to be joined to the Church before the Rapture, so every day's delay is another chance to reach them. Keep an eye peeled for them, and pass the Word about the free gift of salvation when you can.

Also, living here with the Holy Spirit as your teacher gives you a chance to practice looking at things as God does. It is amazing how a situation which seemed acceptable and even cleverly handled seen through worldly eyes will look appalling and even foolishly botched through God's eyes. Part of the blindness experienced by lost people is that they don't have the perspective gained from seeing situations from both sides of the spiritual war. The born again Christian growing in the faith can increasingly appreciate the difference as he or she gains wisdom from Bible study and experience handling situations as Jesus would have.

Rely on the Lord's wisdom to guide you. He gave us the Bible to have a written record at hand to read when we need light from Him on the general principles of life and on the end time events as well. That is why Bible study is so important for us, and why we should make time for it in our busy schedules even if other matters must wait. Many of the questions we have can be answered just by reading it in the Scripture. It is better to have read it before a crisis happens when you need it quickly.

For matters that you are still uncertain about, pray to God for guidance as well. The Holy Spirit never considers any question too trivial for an answer. He is always available to patiently teach you what you need to know and do.

Many believers are taught to desire the filling of the Holy Spirit as a means to personal enlightment and empowerment, but don't necessarily understand that we are to allow Him to pour out to others as well.

Christianity is best "caught", not taught. Dry theology is a big turn off for most people, but the example set by a Christian through whom the Holy Spirit can be seen by his words and actions has attracted the attention of many a skeptic. How many times have you met a person who was somehow different, somehow kinder and more understanding in his relationships with others without being pompous about it, and found out that he was a Christian?

When Jesus was born into this world, He brought the light of God to mankind. He performed miracles that were undeniably the work of God. He spoke words of wisdom that astonished the people who heard them with their authority and ring of truth. Many acknowledged that the great light promised them by the Old Testament prophets was indeed shining in their midst and turned to Him for salvation, but more turned from the light and crucified Him. Their desire for power, position, and wealth was greater than their desire for a true relationship with God. They viewed Jesus as a rival for power, just as Satan viewed God as a rival.

His disciples continued His teachings and miracles after He rose from the dead and commissioned them to spread the message of forgiveness and salvation to anyone who would come to God in repentence. Many of them died as martyrs when the lost souls they tried to reach with the message instead chose to try to destroy the light by destroying the messengers.

Christians are still being martyred in the world today for being lights in societies where the light of God is feared and hated. In many places, being a Christian is a crime with the death penalty on conviction. Still, we are commanded to keep shining to spread the word of salvation as long as we can. When the Church is taken out in the Rapture, the only points of light left will be the saints saved during the Tribulation. Keep shining to help light their way with gospel messages they can access after we have gone while you still have time.

Oh, if only every Christian could give a good testimony with his life! Unfortunately, most of us are still growing up in the faith and still showing the scars of sin on our characters. Instead of desiring the filling of the Holy Spirit to gain a higher place in the church or to gain more material possessions, healings, and other benefits, we should desire the Holy Spirit to shape us to be ever more like Jesus Christ and let his goodness and holiness shine through us for the world to see. Let your little light shine, and let it be the glory of the Holy Spirit and not your own.

These are days when it is more important than ever to be wise in the Lord's ways. We are living in a time when most of the formerly Christian nations are turning from Christianity to various pagan religions. Most do not have the concern for God and your fellow man that God commands His children to have out of love for Him and others.

Walk carefully among the lost in your daily business. As the darkness deepens, count on dealing with more persecution and trouble from those who have decided to follow Satan's ways. Never lose a chance to lead someone to Christ if you can, but don't be deceived by someone using your faith to trick you. Many of the devil's children are wiser in sharp personal and business dealings than the Lord's children. We are commanded to be innocent in evil but wise in dealing with evil schemes. The less Christian morality is followed by the general public, the more problems will arise from people trying to use their own cleverness to advance themselves at other peoples' expense. It is sad to see the levels of violence and sin rising so quickly now, but the Lord warned us to expect it right before His coming.

Rely on God for the strength and skill to carry out your tasks. He will enable you to do whatever you need to do. Whether it is a task you are doing for your church, or doing the best job you can do at work or at home, God will help you to do everything for His glory. Lean on Him, and He will always carry you through.

Plan your work, then work your plan. The Bible teaches us that we should sit down and count the costs before starting a project. Otherwise, if we find in the middle of it that we don't have the resources to finish it, we will find ourselves mocked by others for our foolishness in starting it in the first place. Planning is definitely a part of success, especially for large, expensive projects.

Working is then necessary for success. Persistence in reaching your goal is a definite virtue. When the Jews were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under the direction of Nehemiah and Ezra, they faced not only the terrible hardship of rebuilding walls torn down in the fury of conquest, but also the threats of their unfriendly neighbors who didn't want even one stone put back in place.

The book of Nehemiah is an account of the struggles and discouragement they faced. They literally worked with one hand on their weapons because of the constant threat of attack, while their neighbors wrote slanderous letters to the foreign king then ruling over the region trying to get him to stop them permanently. When they finished their work, even their neighbors had to admit that this was a work of the Lord. There was no other way to explain their success in the face of such obstacles except for the Divine intervention of blessing and empowerment to work on no matter what.

Read the account of their struggle and remember it when you face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Their God is the same God who will bless and empower you, too. Work on until you achieve success.

As the spiritual darkness deepens, be ready to testify to Jesus when you can. There is a great spiritual hunger among humanity, as the growth of various Eastern, humanistic, and Satanic religions attests. People are reaching out for God, trying to fill the void in their lives that only He can fill. Satan is busily trying to deceive them into substituting a false religion for the real relationship with God. We're in a race to save the last souls before the Tribulation begins, and Satan's followers are doing their best to keep them prisoner.

Do your best to live a life worthy of Christ. Many people are won by Christians whose life is so distinctly different and somehow better than what their unsaved friends are living. You don't have to be a copy of the stereotypical Christian for Christ's life to shine in yours. We are supposed to be individuals as Christians, even though we are part of one Body with Christ as our Head. Just read the Gospels and compare the apostles to see what a range of personalities they had, yet they were unified in lifestyle and purpose in the Lord.

Hold on to Jesus and your patience as we wait for the Rapture. There is a glorious life for all Christians in God's kingdom, both now and in the future, but still more work and more growing in faith to do here for the present. God hasn't lost a saint yet and never will, so our present and future are secure no matter how dark our path and how insecure our steps sometimes seem in these last days.

Christians are called to be patient with one another and stand together in a common agreement in the faith and in daily living. This is especially important in troubled times.

The strength that comes from unity is such a powerful defense against the attacks of an enemy that Satan tries every means possible to divide Christians to more easily conquer them. He tries to exploit petty bickering and small offenses to chip away at small openings in the Christian's spiritual armor. Even a small gap may be steadily opened to a fatal one with persistent effort.

Don't help the enemy by fighting with family, friends and coworkers. Chronic grumbling and fault-finding only aggravate a difficult relationship. Many a relationship has ended because the people involved insisted on trying to fight to a victory over the other rather than reaching the best compromise possible.

Don't let stubborn pride give the enemy a victory over both parties. When strife starts, take a deep breath and count to ten, then commit yourself to patiently agree with the other party on a solution to the problem instead of treating him as the problem. In these last days, such unity is absolutely essential to finish our work together.

There is one source of peace that the world overlooks, the peace of God that passes all understanding. It is the sense of security that no matter how bad things get all around you, God is still in control and will bring you through it. God uses everything for our good to strengthen and steady us in the faith, and in that we rejoice and give thanks to Him.

We grow spiritually by Bible study, but there are other ways to cultivate a peaceful mind. Examine what you are feeding into it through your contact with the world. What you choose to take in is what you will make into memories that you will live with for the rest of your life. Are you watching TV shows and movies filled with violence or pornography? Playing violent video games? The experience won't be over when the session ends. It will stay with you forever, coloring your preferences and view of the world. Would you really want to live in the world like that? If not, why enter it in your imagination?

Choose wisely what you will take into your life. There are plenty of shows which are entertaining and educational which will enrich your mind. There are plenty of computer games and programs which challenge your intellect or develop useful skills. There are lots of books on line with all sorts of fascinating things to read. A huge array of hobbies can provide recreation and useful, beautiful items to make for yourself or others. Look for the best to make yourself the best you that you can be.

The Y6K problem, occurring at the end of the 6000 years of human history decreed by God to show what sin is and what its effects on intelligent beings are, is coming up soon. It is the final deadline for unsaved people to make the decision to join God's family before the Church is taken from the Earth before the start of the seven years of the Tribulation.

Just as there was a time of warning and an opportunity to escape Noah's flood, so there is a time of warning before this even greater disaster about to strike mankind left on the Earth during this time. God doesn't want anyone to perish, but His justice won't wait forever. Please make the wise choice and get aboard the Ark of Safety provided for you by joining God's family now. Pray this prayer sincerely, and you will be saved:

Dear God, I'm sorry for my sins. I want to join your Heavenly family and I submit to King Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I renounce anything to do with Satan, his kingdom, and his ways. Please save me and adopt me as one of Your children. In Jesus' Name, Amen