Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Lou Yeboah
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— “… I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I wish thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” [Revelation 3:14-22]
Yes, this message is a warning from God’s Word for everyone to repent of their sins and begin to live Godly lives in the light of the scriptures and to begin to seek God with great intensity, honesty, sincerity and urgency. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return [TURN] unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him and He will abundantly pardon.” [Isaiah 55:7].
I beg you, don’t be like Felix and miss it! Be like Paul and seize the day for God’s glory. Life is so uncertain. There is no opportunity for obedience after death.[Hebrew 9:27]. I don’t know who I’m talking too, but God says, “NOW – TODAY – NOT TOMORROW” Time is not on your side! Whoever you are, you have heard the Gospel many, many times in the past, and you’ve been spoken to by the Holy Spirit, but you have not heeded the warnings.” I beg you today, please, do not trifle with your soul’s salvation, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” [James 4:14]. The Urgency of Today. The Insistence of God. Know that ‘TODAY’ may be the very last time you may be exposed to the Gospel of the grace of God. Don’t blow it! Don’t delay! “NOW,” “TODAY,” repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior. For the Bible declares, “Behold, “NOW” is the acceptable time; behold, “NOW” is the day of salvation.” “NOW” is Mercy’s offer. “NOW” is the invitation from God, reaching down from Heaven. Know that the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance [2 Peter 3:9].
Three passages in the [Book of Proverbs- Chapter 1:24-28; Chapter 27:1; and Chapter 29:1] warns us that we are not to wait too late about making our decision of commitment to trust Christ as our Savior and Lord and to receive forgiveness for our sins. Don’t take a chance and think that you will have time to get saved or repent later on in life. “For Hell is filling up fast with people who thought that they would repent later on in their life. Some of them, like you, had heard the Gospel; were convicted by the Holy Spirit and Word of God, and had expected to get saved ‘SOMEDAY.” Unfortunately, for them, their “SOMEDAY” never came.”
For truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent [Acts 17:30]. Hear what the God of the Bible says about waiting to call out for salvation: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call up me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” [Proverbs 1:24-31].
‘See then that you walk circumspectly (carefully) not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.’ [Ephesians 5:15
“No one knows the day or hour of his appointed time. And no man knows the day or hour of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. [Mark 13:32; Matthew 25:13]; Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not…” [Luke 12:40]
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that “I have set before you life and death; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live, that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him for He is your life and the length of your days. [Deuteronomy 30:19-20]
