I have been studying stages of faith that people at certain times of life go through (see the document “Stages of Faith” at the Armageddon web site). I recently came to realize more fully that those stages of faith happen because God does the miracle. It is God who grows us from stage to stage, yet we are quite capable of getting stuck at various stages. The choices we make sometimes keep us from moving forward. And it dawned on me that the stages of faith should be connected with stages of surrender, because the one thing we need to do to grow spiritually is to let the miracle happen. It is allow God to do the work that we have blocked Him from doing in the past. While we may at times slip into feelings of rebellion, most of the time we don’t even realize we are blocking the work of God in our lives. Surrender, very simply put, is letting God grow you.
What I plan to do from here on out is walk you through the stages of faith (read the above-mentioned article first if you are not familiar with them) and how at each stage surrender may take on a different form or meaning. That means some of the following types of surrender might apply to where you are right now but the others might not. Possibly you will say to yourself, “I recognize all of them.” More likely you will say, “I recognize this one or that one, but not the others.” There is no single point in all that follows that is going to fix everybody. I wish I knew such a point. But what I can do is list some of the challenges that people face at different stages in their spiritual life and how one can unblock the channel to God’s blessing in those times.
There are six stages of faith in all. But I am suggesting that moving through those stages brings us to eight different points of surrender. In a general sense, each stage of surrender builds on the others. You will not be able to surrender for tomorrow’s issue. It is sufficient that you confront the primary issue you face today. What God wants to see happen in your life tomorrow or next year is not going to happen today, but you can surrender to Him the place where you are now. As you read the blogs that follow, God may be calling you to say, “Here is something in the way! Here is something I’d like you to move forward on.”
“Howdy.” I need some assistance in understanding the timing of events of the book of Revelation. It appears from a study of Revelation 16 that probation closes at the time of the beginning (verse 1) of the pouring out of the seven bowls of the wrath of God (verse 1). So the spiritual warfare at Armageddon (sixth bowl) is not really a proclamation of the Gospel, but rather a final exhibition of the Gospel by believers who would rather die than dishonor God. My understanding is that there will be no one left to have a change of heart by the witness of the saints because, at that point, all decisions have been made, either for or against, God. Believers are living by faith in their Savior.
Do I have clarity on this issue or are there other who can provide more understanding? Many thanks.
Thanks for the question. REv 16:12 describes the end of Babylon (see 17:16 also). Verses 13 and 14 describe the actions leading to the formation of Babylon. So while verse 12 is in the context of the close of probation, verses 13 and 14 reflect an earlier period. See papers on Armageddon at the web site.
Thank you for your response. I believe I understand your comment, but I am not sure how it answers my question. I am reading “Armageddon at the Door.” I will do some re-reading since I am having difficulty finding the appropriate articles on the website. Lots and lots of good information there.