THE GOD OF SNOW

Psalm 148:7-8 KJV Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

The use of weather patterns have played an interesting role in scripture that have been used to cater to God’s purposes as well as man’s need. For instance God brought forth an unusual nature phenomenon of fire to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God was willing however to hold back on the destruction if a number of righteous people were found to dwell in the land. Today you will even hear testimonials of how a people prayed and God spared their home, church and very lives from being engulfed in a monstrous forest fire. Also consider when the prophet Elijah declared rain to come upon a land that has been experiencing famine or God bringing a storm to when Jonah was fleeing from God’s will or perhaps even when Jesus got up and calm the storms as He and His disciples were in a ship crossing over the sea.

There are countless stories of how God has controlled weather patterns in order to bring about His purposes, try people’s faith and or minister to the needs of the earth in order to bring forth fruit and harvest. God works with the weather!

So on that note let us deal with snow. The Bible has much to mention about it and I encourage anyone, to take time to look up all that the Bible says concerning snow.

When it comes to snow it seems that people love it or some people can't stand it. Some people enjoy it for the Christmas season and others move to Florida to get away from the burden of having to shoveling it. But there is something so beautiful about snow fall when it is falling down from the heavens. It is so light, so GRACEFUL or so full of grace when in the process. But as I said the Bible uses natural elements to help reinforce the purpose of God and give us understanding of His nature and way and His affect upon our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

In the northern states of America snow is only but a seasonal occurrence and not a daily re-occurrence throughout the year. Though it seems during the 3 months of winter solstice, it can last for what seems to be for eternity, if it wasn't for the season of snow, we would not more fully enjoy the other seasons God gives us such as spring, summer and fall.

Sometimes that is the same way with life. We all go through seasons, but if it wasn't for the seasons we experience great sorrow we would not fully enjoy as much the seasons of great joy, that God so desires to bring our way!

Seasons only occur under heaven!

Seasons don't take place above the heavens. It is amazing how whether we experience rain or shine, sleet or snow, take an airplane trip into the heavens and above the clouds and you will see that nothing of any different “season” transpiring. If anything it would always be sunny.

Seasons in life represent different circumstances or time.

Ecclesiastes 2 goes on to say starting with verse 2 that there are a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; and so on and so forth.

Seasons are equated with time, because like time there is a beginning and an end.

So no matter what obstacles you are facing in life, it has a beginning and it also has an end. The place we must seek to get to is above the situations and into the heavenly places in Christ Jesus! That is the only place where the Son of Glory always remains the same and sheds light to every area that comes into its presence. For he is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) We are called and destined to be sitting in heavenly high places with Him!

Not that we would not be in touch with what life brings our way, but that we don’t have to be discouraged in life’s circumstances because we can obtain a heavenly vantage point of what is going on within our race of faith!

In light of seasons and comparing them to life it is safe to say that truly seasons are seasons and they are not eternal. However when it comes to the season of God’s snow of Salvation and Grace, along with its prophetic implications of what the God of snow can do in your life it will leave an ever lasting or eternal effect upon you, where you will never be the same! I am talking about the ever promising, ever internal and eternal effect that Salvation brings into ones life once they receive the salvation of Jesus Christ!

He makes us white as snow

Isaiah 1:18-19 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Now Isaiah brings out that God is a reasonable God. Isaiah is prophesying of the Salvation of The Lord and the effect therefore upon such a life that receives it, once they reason out the fact that they MUST be saved. Not consider being saved, but that they MUST be saved!

The first word of that verse is COME! And God is not saying come later, come tomorrow or whenever you feel in the mood, but to come and COME NOW! You can not receive the gift of Salvation unless you respond to the call of God and COME NOW to the cross of Calvary! Some can try to put off Receiving Salvation for whenever they are ready, but the fact is NOW is the day of Salvation!

Revelation 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, NOW is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

The only way you can conquer the wicked one is realizing that God is the God of the NOW and not the “then”. NOW is the time of deliverance, NOW is the time of breakthrough, NOW is the time to change, NOW is the time to be set free all by the blood of the lamb and recieve the word of your testimony!

The power of The Word of testimony

The Word of your testimony begins with the Word of His testimony!

Psalm 68:11, 13-14 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it . Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

God's Word will give you wings! I am not talking like the kind of wings Clarence received from the classic movie, it's a Wonderful life! Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I am talking about wings that will enable you to soar above the attacks and devises of Satan called sin and bondage! As Psalm 68 said that they shall be wings covered with silver, which silver is the prophetic meaning of REDEMPTION! So in other words, God will give you wings of REDEMPTION! This is part of you overcoming the wicked one! He could have a whole field of land mines waiting for you to walk though and step on, but when you wait upon The Lord, He will mount you up with wings as eagles, wings covered with the saving grace of The Lord so that you may soar above and beyond!

Psalm 51:5-7 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Now nobody likes dirty snow. Many of times when we give way to the influence of Satan it is equivalent to dirtying up the job God does in our life! So then what? Well we need God’s saving grace to snow again in our life, except when that transpires, God doesn’t just cover up the sinfulness in one’s life, but totally gets rid of it! Like how we have snow removal, God has sin removal and it is the snowing of His Word! God’s hand is ways ready to pour out more deliverance, more power, more of His grace that will enable you to maintain the purity within your life!

As I said before the Word of your testimony begins with His Word and His testimony!

Let's take at man who obviously was in great need of God's saving grace, a man named Job.

The book of Job mentions the word "snow" the most times than any other book. It mentions it one verse more than on the book of Psalms. So Job has quite a bit to say concerning snow!

Job 37:1-6 At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place. Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth. After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.

Job is in need of strength! His strength, as well as His endurance seems to slowly be dwindling down. He is dry and perhaps feels about left for dead! He is like Frosty the snow man, melting under the heat of affliction and circumstance! Job definitely was experiencing a climate change in his life, not understanding how that he who is upright before God could be experiencing all these attacks! He is trying to be calm cool and collected, but the temperature is rising and it seems like the wicked one is overcoming Him!

Job needs strength, He needed God's saving grace! He needs wings as an eagle, but they seem to have melted right off as he faced day after day, hour after hour, great affliction, pain, confusion, despair and self denial!

He couldn't trust in himself, in his own strength or blood! He needed the strength of The Lord!

For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.

Job was in need of deliverance, cleansing, and whole new turn around in his life! Though times grew worse and worse for this man of God, though he thought God's timing of deliverance was late for him and perhaps he was overlooked, He would not accuse God falsely! He though he (God) slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite (Job) shall not come before him. (Job 13:15-16)

Job 9:27-35 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself : I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain? If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me: Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

Job is in great trouble and desires to be washed of snow water, which again speaks of Redemption, however he claims that God is not a man like you and I that He just approach with His infirmity and sorrows. Job said that there is no man that can stand between us, no Mediator that can put His hand on both him and God!

It was Job’s desire to be redeemed from his infirmity, but thanks be to God when you fast-forward the tape of history, there finally did come a Mediator, One Standing in the gap, and One restoring mankind unto God! This man, this restorer, this Savior, this mediator is Jesus! And by the cross of Salvation, you and I are able to rest assure on God's delivering power when we ourselves are willing to be washed by the snow waters of Redemption! Jesus made that available and possible for you and me, only through Him!

Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.

Many times it is when you are in the heat of the battle, the temptation that lingers, the snare of sin that tries to trip you up that will seem to try to sap the very snow waters from your life...leaving you feeling dry and burnt out. It almost can feel as if you got to acquire Salvation all over again. But just know as Jesus never left Peter drowning in the water he once walked upon, Jesus will never leave you or forsake you in the heat of life circumstance when you began walking toward His direction and light!

You may be going through it, but I encourage you to not melt under pressure, don't feel like you got to redig past hurts in order over come, but simply receive the fresh infilling of God's grace and saving power of redemption! I'm not talking about getting saved all over again, but I am talking about His saving grave that delivers every time you are in trouble, every time things begin to look hideous in your life...Jesus is there, read to pour out when you call upon His Spirit!

The blood of thy Salvation

The Bible said in Revelation 12:11 that not only did those who overcame the wicked one by the word of their testimony, but also by the blood of The Lamb!

It also says that those who overcame, did not love their lives unto death! This means that they were willing to die and give it all up in order to overcome in Christ over the snares of Satan and the flesh! Like the coolness of snow, Salvation has the power to preserve! It will keep you unto newness of life, you just have to continue to walk it out! Walk out your Salvation!

Now when it snows, in order to be able to withstand the snow and the cooler climate it brings, it provokes you to dress differently, to dress warmer, in order to maintain your body heat and not freeze to death.

I remember as a kid for some foolish reason, I would wear shorts in the dead of winter. I would be waiting for my bus, wearing shorts, not because it was comfortable attire, but because I liked they way they looked, they were new, I'd look hip among my peers and fit in because everyone else was wearing their shorts as well, but looking back I looked like a fool waiting more to get sick, than for my bus!

Proverbs 26:1 As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.

I was dressed out of season. Though not dealing with the issue of honor per say, but because I dressed myself more according to the state of my vanity and want rather than to the state of season and need, I was a FOOL and if anything dishonored my body and reaped the consequences of gaining an internal sickness called a cold.

When the season of snow comes down upon your life, to say once you received Salvation and begin to walk it out, the longer you walk it out the more you will begin to be mindful of how your dress, both spiritually and even naturally or modestly. Once the saving grace of God comes to your life you put on a different spiritual garment called the new man! The old man in the wrong season will get you spiritually sick unto death!

Proverbs 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

The virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 represents a kind of Church. I believe a Church that operates in the way that Christ said He will build her up to be. This Church, if you will, is smart enough to realize that when snow or salvation comes, all that are part of her household, the saints of God, are covered in cloths of scarlet which represent the blood of The Lamb!

The fact that the color scarlet is mentioned, other than it being a prophetic implication of being covered by the blood of Jesus, the scarlet garments will help be able to identify you in the midst of snow!

Why else do you think the color red or scarlet is called to be a seasonal color in is time of year, especially of Christmas? Though we celebrate the Lord's birth, we are found covered in the colors of red, symbolizing The Lord's blood. Being covered by the blood of Jesus and because of which, standing out in the midst of our environment!

Try telling that to an unsaved coworker at your jobs Christmas, I mean "holiday" party.

The colors red and white speak of the blood and purity.

Again Snow has a way of making landscapes look beautiful. It is pleasing to the eye. But have you ever noticed that when you drive through some of the most unpleasant places of town, places that seem abandoned or falling apart, that if snow is added to the situation it takes on an appearance that doesn't look as bad? All of a sudden, it could better blend in with the rest of the town that is covered with snow. There is no respect of locations per say, but all the town is beautiful when covered in the same snow that is spread out and imparted all over!

Well The God of snow is not a respecter of persons! Let's say one could have grown up in church and yet was not saved, since growing up in church does not automatically make you a Christian. Now that one who grew up in church and is not saved could also have a friend who never went to church and also was not saved. But if we both went to a church meeting one night and we both came under the conviction and power of The Holy Ghost and made our way to the alter and both receive Christ into our life, who is more saved? One who grew up in the church since he was born or the one who did not? The answer is NEITHER! Neither one of those two are more saved, but both are equal in the sight of God. The only difference between the two is that the one who grew up in church may have a greater head start in knowledge of The Lord than the other.

But Job passes a question saying hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail? (Job 38:22)

Now difference between hail and snow is that hail is hard and it is damaging though giving the appearance of snow. Snow is soft, graceful and it remains.

SATAN TRIES TO BRING SUBSTITUTES OF SNOW CALLED HAIL AND ALL IT WILL DO IS DAMAGE! Substitutes of deliverance or ways of escape called alcohol, drugs, unhealthy foods, ungodly relationships or whatever it is to try to soften the blow of problems without calling upon the name of Jesus! Remember Satan is the prince and powers of the air, but God is the King of the Heavens!

Now when you received God’s grace from Calvary’s cross, did you become soft, humble, meek, so that truly your joy, your love, your peace might remain? Or did the spin of religiosity set in, making your walk of Salvation into the color of snow, but created a more hardness of heart, being callous, and even damaging toward others?

What kind of treasures did you enter into?

Job 6:15-18 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

Satan is looking to rob, kill and destroy the very love, the very joy and the very peace God has come to give through the gift of Christ! Jesus said my peace, I leave with you. My joy shall be filled in you and love one another; as I have loved you. For by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another!

It is amazing how that the God of snow made each snow flake so different and yet so alike. Each flake has different design, but all is calm and all is white! We as the bride of Christ need to be The Church, though different, but identifying with the purity, the holiness and the peace God has placed in our life by redemption that it all might flow through our life, redeeming a people unto Himself! It is only snow when you have more than one flake. When we make Christianity about self rather than about Jesus and loving one another, being connected to His body, a world won't see a beautiful snow covered people, redeemed and set free, but rather just a flake here and their.

We need each other and the gift of Salvation if we want to even see the God of snow begin to paint the canvas of broken, lost, and hideous lives and lead them to be covered by His snow.

Isaiah 1:18-19 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. [19] If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

God Bless