Four Watchwords for Times

God lives and works today. We see this especially in the fact that He chastens His children, for He chastens and disciplines because He loves, and afterwards wants to do ever so much more good to us. Today's testimony by Basilea Schlink can help you when you find yourself in a similar situation, when God comes with His judgment.

We wanted to hold a very special festival on our little land of Canaan, a love to Jesus festival, at which Jesus would receive overflowing love from us and a great crowd of our friends. But we can't go to a festival without the right preparation. On the outside, this means freshly washed and ironed clothing and a clean house.

You might say our hearts had to be washed and cleaned. That's why we first had to go through chastenings. What did they look like? Winter had come without any snow or rain, and in spring too the heavens remained closed as if with iron gates.

The trees and bushes were already showing signs of being harmed by the drought, and when it was finally time to cut all the grass for hay, it poured for hours. God was speaking to us personally, and His words went down deep into our hearts. Our little land of Canaan was supposed to glorify the Lord with its beauty at the festival.

And now, to make us spiritually alive and to lead each one of us back to the first love through repentance, the Father in love had to lead us through such chastenings. During this time, Mother Basilea gave us some good advice, which we would like to preserve for our whole life. She wrote down four watchwords for us about how to behave during times of divine judgment.

First, my declaration in the sight of heaven, earth, and hell. Yea, Lord Almighty God, true and just are your judgments. Revelation 16, verse 7. Second, my commitment.

I want to humble myself under the mighty hand of God that in due time He may exalt me. 1 Peter 5, verse 6. Third, my expectation. He humbles and tests us to do us good in the end.

Deuteronomy 8, verse 16b. And fourth, my faith. When everything looks hopeless and is buried in the grave, the resurrection will follow.

Now hold out until God's time comes when He will speak His Amen. After we accepted all the chastenings in the spirit of these four watchwords, the grace of God became more precious to us than ever before, and the exaltation rang throughout our Love to Jesus Festival. If the Lord is leading you through a period of chastening, apply these watchwords to your situation, and you too will experience that with God, suffering is never the end.

He always turns suffering into joy. Father, I thank you in midst of my grief and joy. It is in love that you discipline me.

Goodness and blessing, the ending will be. You have been listening to a program written by Basilea Schlink of the Little Land of Canaan. To learn more about how God lives and works today, visit us at our website, www.canaan.org. That's K-A-N-A-A-N dot org.

If you contact us, we would be happy to send you a free inspirational booklet. If you do not have access to the Web, please contact this radio station for our postal address. God bless you!