We Have Been Set Free – Marcelle Nipper
As this past 4th of July neared, I began to reflect on just what that means. We all pretty much understand this to mean Independence Day when the New World, America gained their independence from Great Britain and the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. The colonists wanted freedom to live their own lives, practice their own faith, free from interference and unfair taxes by the British. Upon this day, July 4, 1776, they were set free! What a wonderful reason to celebrate!
Through this declaration, our forefathers made it possible for us to have certain inalienable rights as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Knowing that we are created in the image of God, displays our own expression of our Biblical heritage.
We as believers in Jesus Christ, have that same life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, that no matter what we face today, we can live in the life of Christ, the liberty and freedom that we have in Christ Jesus! “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn 8:32).
What does this mean to the believer? We have been set free from sin and have everlasting life in Jesus! “Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end is everlasting life.” (Rom 6:18, 22) Jesus, himself said that “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” As the Israelites went out of Egypt into the promised land, promised to them by God; and the settlers left Great Britain to go into the promised land of America, we too have an advocate before The Father, that we may go into the promised land of freedom and eternal life with Christ, not only in this world, but the heavenlies! Isn’t that a wonderful promise for the believer?!
We have liberty in Jesus because He has set us free! So, beloved, let us “Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty that Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only to not use liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but to serve one another.” (Gal 5:1, 13) We have a choice, free to sin or free to serve. This is our liberty. We can sin and be enslaved to Satan, others, or our own selfish and evil desires. When we are slaves to sin, it is impossible to live righteous lives and please God, but as followers in obedience to Christ, we are free to do what is right which glorifies God through our actions.
So let us live in this freedom that we have found in Christ! How? By obeying God, who gives us the strength by His grace to obey. “Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. Yet where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom 5:20) Jesus said to those who believed on Him, “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” If the Son therefore shall make you free you shall be free indeed.” (Jn 8:31,32&36). Let us hold fast to obedient living and live by the law of the Spirit of Christ Jesus who has made us free from the law of sin and death! Let’s begin to PRAISE GOD for His love! He made a way for us to be free! WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE! REJOICE, AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE! We have something to rejoice about today and every day, until we meet Jesus, face to face!
Marcelle Nipper July, 2021
NO TURNING BACK – Marcelle Nipper
Once again, I found myself reflecting on circumstances of today, the direction of our own country, the world, and how it is affecting me as a Christian. Not only did covid change the world and how people live, but the reaction of the government to this pandemic, from local government to the White House and Washington, not to discount pro-abortionists, transgender, same sex relationships which are all contrary to the laws of the Almighty, Holy and Righteous God who created the universe! Evil has begun to manifest itself in many ways. Then I heard the Lord speak to me saying, “There is no turning back.” “What do you mean? I asked.
God took me back to the day of my salvation and what that looked like. I realized for many years I had been making choices: continuing in my sin and living a broken and miserable life; making temporary changes that did not last, feeling like a failure; or I could choose to surrender to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. When I finally accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my life drastically changed. I began to put all my trust in Him and was not looking back. I knew that “There is no turning back!” I knew who I was without Christ and I never wanted to go back to that old life.
I realized that no turning back is a life commitment. That is why it is so important to not lose sight of who we are in Christ. He not only saves us from hell, but he continues to save us from Satan and his schemes, temptation, and circumstances we find ourselves in, leaving us helpless, or even hopeless; but he brings us home to be eternally with God! So let us hold on to the faith by grace and press on towards the goal as the Apostle Paul has done.
Then The Lord began to show me things as He brought to my remembrance Lot’s wife in Genesis 19:26 “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Luke also said in Luke 17:32-33 “Remember Lot’s wife, whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” To recall, Lot’s wife was warned by angels to get out before God destroyed the city of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone; “flee and don’t look back”, they said. BUT, she did! Lot’s wife needed an attitude adjustment. The condition of her heart was the issue. She did not want to give up her worldly goods, she did not believe God would destroy the place she loved. A place she had become comfortable in and called home. She remembered the good times, even though her husband Lot was vexed because of the iniquity within Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife was clinging to the comforts of the past, to the things she could taste, smell, and see. She disobeyed God and looked back, longing for what she called home, rather than choosing to put her life into the hands of God who could save her and she lost her life. Jesus had said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.”
So, let’s examine our own lives. Who or what do we serve? What are you and I holding on to? Is it struggling with sin or guilt from the past; shame, addiction of any sort; loneliness, anxiety, worry, depression, suicidal thoughts, feeling unworthy or unloved, bitterness, or unforgiveness? Maybe it is looking back to the way things were before the pandemic and mask mandates? The easy life or pleasures of this world. Is it unbelief because God hasn’t answered prayers, so you question God? Are you overwhelmed with worry and concern, whether it is for a lost family member, financial provision, or health issues? Maybe our lives are standing still, paralyzed, rather than going forward, trusting God as the world turns more and more godless, truth turned to lies; good called evil and evil called good? Are we being controlled by the chaos, confusion, death, disease and pandemics? Are we living in fear, not knowing whom to believe, division among families, and political upheaval?
We have an answer, not only for ourselves, but for the world! His name is JESUS! Jesus is our salvation, our hope, our strength, our provision, our healer, our deliverer. He is the only one who has loved us more than life! He gave His life so that we could have life, and have life more abundantly! It is an eternal life with the Father. He is our joy and peace! So let us come to Him and know the depth, width, and the height of His love, so we can go forward in this life!
How can we press forward? By laying your burdens at the foot of the cross. Trust in Jesus. Lay aside every weight and sin. John 5 & 6 says, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” What a wonderful promise! Forget the things which are behind and hold on to the promises of God. Let us reach for those things set before us as the ambassadors of Christ and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He said that He will never leave or forsake us; He will send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to abide within our hearts and guide us, be our counselor, our teacher, one who convicts us of sin so that we can quickly repent. We are not alone! Do you believe this? Do I? If so, then look to Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Let us rejoice in the Lord always, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God. Only then will the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, no matter our circumstances. In this we can have peace with God in in His strength, continue to go forward and not turn back!
Our Father is so loving that He has given us a Word in this hour. He said, “I AM Light”. In John 8:12 Jesus spoke saying “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”; and John 12:46 says, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes on me should not abide in darkness.” Satan wants to sift us. He wants to kill, steal and destroy our lives and the lives of our loved ones, but if we keep focused on Jesus, who is the light, He will see that we make it to the end! Lot’s wife was holding on to a life she was comfortable in, the old life. She loved the world more than the desire to be obedient to God, looked back, and lost her life. We understand that the old life leads to death, but now we have a new life in Christ which leads to eternal life. God created us for this very hour, to be salt and light to a dark world. There is no time to turn back, longing for what was, nor is it a time to sit stagnant; for one day soon, Jesus will be returning for the saints of God. He has called us to be ministers of reconciliation, so are you pressing forward towards the goal, reaching out to all you come across to share this hope we have in Jesus? Let us hold fast to the foundation of our faith, who is Jesus Christ, love and serve God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength; and others as yourself. Allow the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in you be so prevalent, that others will see Jesus in you and ask, what is this hope you have? Our rewards are laid up in heaven, so let us declare to the world: THERE IS NO TURNING BACK! I AM GOING ON IN JESUS! WILL YOU?
This Is Not Our Home
One morning as I sat before The Lord, I began to ponder upon the direction of our country, and all that is happening around the world. I began to reflect on the world we live in and how man has turned against God’s laws, filled our nation with chaos, hatred, and divisiveness. I see the signs of the times with the increase of hurricanes, earthquakes, and pestilence. I see the underlying threat to our religious freedom in what is supposed to be a free world with liberty and justice for all crumbling before us.
The Lord spoke a gentle reminder to me, saying: this is not my home; I belong to Him; and I will be with Him one day! Jesus Christ, His Son, has made that possible. As born-again believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have that blessed hope. Jesus has already paid the price of our sins and carried them upon himself to Calvary, shed His precious blood and became a living sacrifice for you and me. He died and rose again and now sits at the right hand of the Father. We are now children of the living God who have a home in Heavenly places with Jesus Christ. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. So, no matter our circumstances, no matter how dark this world becomes, let us put our trust in Jesus and believing on the promise he has made to us, that we will have a home with Him!
The Lord painted me a beautiful picture in scripture of eternal life given to us when Paul wrote in 2 Cor 5, if our earthly house (being the tabernacle of God, by which the Holy Spirit resides), be dissolved, we will enter into a house not made with hands, but of God, which will be eternal in the Heavens with Him! I can just picture this glorified body of mine in the presence of the throne of grace, basking in the glory of God! I can see myself sitting at the feet of Jesus with my head laying in his lap, basking in His unconditional love!
So, my beloved, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1&2) Let us not grow weary and faint, but press on towards the goal. When Jesus left this earthly world, he sent his Spirit to endue us with power on high. It is not by our might or power, but by the Holy Spirit of God that we can be the soldiers of Christ he has called us to be in this hour.
Let us all stay focused on Christ and not the chaos and the hate that seems to absorb the minds of mankind; nor pleasure seekers of this world, but let us be partakers in His Holiness and make our paths straight. Let us follow peace with everyone, so that the root of bitterness will not spring up within our hearts and trouble us. Let us lift up holy hands unto a Holy God and serve Him and Him alone.
We are going home soon, believers! So, let us be found “doing” for The Lord, by the leading of the Holy Spirit of God, who lives inside of us! Take heart beloved, and grab hold of the promises of God! Jesus has said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (Jn 14:2). Isn’t that a wonderful promise? This is not our home. This life is temporary, and our very souls groan for the eternal body that we will be given. Heaven is our home! Heaven is where God is! We get to be with Him and can partake in all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ! These blessings are all good things God gives us – salvation, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God’s will, and the promise as believers, to live forever with Christ! Heaven is our home! Marcelle Nipper – March, 2021
A WORD FROM GOD – Marcelle Nipper
On many occasions, the Lord has given me dreams, either for myself, my family, or for my home church body. Some were warnings, some prophetic in my personal life that came through, and some for edification of the body of Christ. This time, it is for humanity!
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, As I lie in bed in the early morning, before awakening for the day, the Lord had spoken to me in a dream, as He has so many times in the past.
The dream:
I seemed to be at a ladies’ function with my church and we were all staying together in a house. A small group of us decided to take a walk outside, when I found myself lagging behind. All of a sudden, the earth began to rise and crumble, then open up and swallow me beneath the earth’s surface, just to find myself looking outward into a dark abyss; nothing but dark, black atmosphere, void of moon or stars. There was no light at all. Instantly I was transferred back to the living quarters to find the ladies having their normal conversations as if nothing had happened. I saw myself searching frantically for a paper and pen, because they could not see or hear me, and I knew that I had to make them aware of what was happening. I was desperate to write it down. I instantly awakened.
I did not fully understand what the Lord had given me. I understood only parts and began to fervently pray that God would give me a revelation of the meaning behind the dream, as He did for Daniel in the Old Testament scriptures.
Sunday, November 8th, the Lord began to unfold the dream. He had shown me that darkness (evil) would cover the world and I was to write down the things that I have seen, so others may know.
Friday, November 20th, I once again, heard the voice of the Lord as I slept, saying, “Isaiah 24”, repeatedly. I immediately awakened and I knew that I had to read Isaiah 24. As I read the Holy scriptures of God, I realized this chapter spoke of the destruction of the earth and God’s judgment, so I began to study the scriptures. I also had so many questions regarding the dream. What did it mean to be swallowed up? Why couldn’t the ladies see or hear me? What was the meaning behind the dark abyss? I needed answers and clarity, so I began to seek the Lord even more. I trusted in His Word, where He says that he will reveal Himself to those who diligently seek Him. I fear and tremble before an Almighty God, should I speak any other word, other than what He has given me! As I continued entering into the presence of God, in His lovingkindness, He told me all would be clear in December. So I continued to search the scriptures, and listen attentively to the Holy Spirit of God.
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My husband Bill and I attended a spiritual week from December 30 through January 5 . We both were
hungry for God to move in our lives. There was a since of urgency to know Him more, to be so intimate that we could hear His voice clearly when He spoke. We desired to walk in the Spirit of God and be led of the Spirit of God. For 2 months, The Lord began revealing the meaning of the dream to me, and He gave
st me complete clarity on December 31 .
The interpretation:
The rise and crumbling of the earth represent the earth being defiled by mankind. God will utterly destroy this world as we know it. Why? Because the people have sinned against a Holy and Righteous God. He has transgressed the laws of God, changed His ordinances to the ways of man, and broken the everlasting covenant of God. The earth is defiled with innocent blood. Man has exalted himself above God by going his own way and refuses to hear the cries of God to turn from his wicked ways.
God is not only Holy and hates sin, but is a just judge who must punish sinners. The curse of Adam’s sin devours the earth. Sin is rampant; therefore, mankind will be burned and few will be left. Judgment is coming against the wicked of the whole earth. Dark days are ahead as the downfall and destruction of kingdoms come; as joy, laughter and merriment wither away. There will be nothing to satisfy the darkened soul of man. God will bring judgment, and the earth is utterly destroyed and shall not rise again.
The dark abyss represents VOID of God’s presence. He can no longer look upon the sin of man; his disobedience, idolatry, seeking his own way, unbelief. He has glorified the creature more than the creator.
The ladies in the house represent the church of Jesus Christ and His body all over the nations, and because I am one person that only knows her circle of family and friends, unless this message is written down and spread throughout, not all will have the opportunity to hear. Frantically looking for pen and paper to write down the message was confirmed, when The Lord brought me to Mt. 10:27 “What I tell you in darkness, speak ye in the light, and what you hear in your ear, preach upon the housetops.”
I must share this last thing. January 5th as I was looking out the window of the building where we were housed for the spiritual week, the Lord asked me, “What do you see?” I said, beautiful clear skies. No clouds in the sky. The sun was bright and I hear life bustling around. It fills me with joy! The Lord said, “One day soon there will be no light. Darkness will come. Go now, while there is light, into all nations and share the hope of my Son to a dark and dying world.”
Will there be a remnant of born-again believers who will take up this charge! Jesus is the light of the world, and in Him there is no darkness. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me.” Jn 14:6. Will you take this hope in you to the world?
If you do not know Jesus intimately, or are not sure, today is the day of salvation. God has cried out to you! “If today you hear my voice, harden not your hearts.” None of us are good. The wages of sin is death, and rightfully so. The God who created us has spoken to us. He comes soon to bring judgment upon mankind, which includes the whole earth. The day or hour has not been revealed, but God has spoken this word to tell you that it is soon. He is calling mankind to repentance; and “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” Rom 10:9 & 13.
There is hope! One day when the new heavens and the new earth are formed, the presence of God will be a beacon of light where no sun or moon are needed. God’s glory will be our light! One day, those whom have believed, will be with him for eternity. Jesus gives us everlasting life with Him and with the Father! What a glorious day that will be!