Monday, July 2, 2012

Book Review - "VISIONS OF THE COMING DAYS" by R. Loren Sandford


Good Morning to All!

"Visions of the Coming Days" written by R. Loren Sanford was sent to me as a complimentary copy from Chosen Books, at Bethany House Publishing.

It does not seem like his "whole" idea of the book is necessarily just about actual Biblical prophecies, but the way to live for God as well.

I will admit in the beginning of the book, there were some things which either I misunderstood what he was trying to say, or he and I were not on the "same page" scripturally".

For example, in one instance he said, "In some circles, we continue to tell people to confess that they have been healed when in fact they have not been healed. Where did Jesus ever tell anyone to do anything like that?" Well, according to God, this is known as faith. His word tells us that "by HIS stripes we are healed". It also tells us according to Romans 4:17 to look at things that are not, as though they are (by faith).

Even though I may not agree with him completely, but his basic message is clear and precise. We must have the heart of God.

Our world today is headed for a train wreck. What's bad is a lot of this train wreck is because of the way people view God. If they "view" Him at all, they have the mistaken idea that anything they want to do is ok because God will forgive them. Unfortunately, they are in for a rude awakening. Even though we are in the dispensation of grace, this does not mean ALL is forgiven. Grace is there to TEACH us and guide us into ALL truth. It does not give us a free pass to do as we want even if it's against the will of God.

He uses the story of Samson as a principle for the post WWII generation. He used Woodstock and the Jesus Movement.

He brings up the fact, that we have failed miserably. God called and gifted us to change the world. He expected us to fulfill that destiny and grow in it, to lead our children in it. Deuteronomy 6:1-2 states "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that ou might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you."

It should have been a three-generational vision, a burning purpose passed on as an inheritance. Instead, like Samson, we literally and figuratively cut our hair and sacrificed our strength and calling.

Mr. Sandford talks about how even at Woodstock, God was using an unbeliever (Maharishi) calling for America to lead spiritually, not materially.

This book has really touched me in so many ways. It is very thought provoking. Rather than passing our children Godly values, and what is truly important, we have taught them the misguided ways of nice homes, TVs, and cars. While there is nothing wrong with having these things, we must remember that we would not have them if it were not for God providing them for us. We need to get back to teaching our families to prioritize. God FIRST, and then everything else will fall into place.

This is an excellent book. It was provocative in the sense that it made me step up and really think about why I do things. So many times we (even as true Christians) get in a rut and become complacent, just going through the motions of what we call worship, praise, or even prayer. We do it, but more out of habit than because of our love for God and His guidance. We absolutely need to look within ourselves and remember why we do these things. We need to renew our relationship with God and become more like Him in character.

We need the heart of God. His love, humility, meekness, understanding and all of His other attributes. That is having the heart of God. If we do these things, we will have a better understanding of His prophecy for us and our eternity.

I have read several books of "prophecy", but this so far has been my favorite because he doesn't just spout prophecy. He explains prophecy in relationship to our relationship with God. We must have the heart of God to understand. We must "be" like Him in our way of thinking, our attitudes and how we look at things.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone.

Have a Wonderful Day and May God Bless,


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