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When we hear these words as a timely warning, we immediately think of a physical storm weather wise and make an effort to be prepared. Usually the preparation will be according to the forecast of how bad and strong the storm will be. Windows are shuttered, loose items tied down etc. In other words we take action to prevent as much damage to property, and then find safe locations for ourselves and our families, hoping the storm will pass us by.
In the life of a disciple\believer in Messiah, this storm is a spiritual one and is reflected in Matthew 25, the parable of the 10 virgins and in Yeshua/Jesus own words in Mark 13:33 He told us to stay alert and be ready, in season and out.
Several times we are warned to be awake and ready, to be prepared for spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6. We need to understand we are in a constant battle and will be all the days of our lives on earth. There is a reason this message is repeated often it’s because many of us drift back to sleep immediately the danger is over, as we get through one storm in life then we relax, heaving a big sigh of relief; that is when the enemy will attack when we let our guard down, because being comfortable raises casualties.
In the same way we keep our eye on the weather and physically prepare when a storm is coming, we are to be alert, on guard and watching spiritually for storms in the spiritual realm, the dimension we cannot see with physical eyes. The devil is looking for those he can devour, those who are like the five bridesmaids who were not only asleep but were not prepared, they had no oil. Waiting until the storm hits, is not the time to prepare, we need to be in a continuous state of spiritual preparedness.
We have many gadgets and gauges to help us determine the weather conditions and temperature, thermometers, barometers, hydrometers etc. etc. Weather stations for wind speeds; even in nature pine cones know if is wet or dry.
In the believers life, we have our Heavenly Fathers’ Holy Spirit to help us discern the signs of the times; we need to be aware of the increase in the intensity of the spiritual storm that is coming.
We may know
where we are and
who we are
but do we really understand
where we are?
This too has application in both realms. We know where we are physically, a location and address, but where are we spiritually in our faith walk and relationship with the Lord? Have we grown and matured in the last year?
We know who we are physically, our name, our mode of life, occupation, abilities, identity status etc. but do we know who we are in the spirit? Are we identifying ourselves with what the word says we have become in Christ and are we operating in the spiritual gifts imparted to our born again from above spirit? Are we warring a good warfare by the words spoken over us?
1Timothy 1:18 -21 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before concerning thee, that thou by them mightest wage a good warfare, and, “Hold fast to faith and to a good conscience.”
Finally and probably the most important point, do we know when we are?
In the natural according to age it may mean the stage all being at high school, College, University, career, a level on the occupation ladder or marital status, raising a family or retired etc. All the stages of the natural life. However do we appreciate the spiritual significance of when we are? Meaning our position in the timeline of our Heavenly Fathers plan of the ages.
Since Yeshua/Jesus day, He declared we are in the last days, acharit ha-yamim, the end times and that was two thousand plus years ago. John said little children this is the last hour. 1John 2:18.
The Greek phrase “in the last days” (ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις) refers to the prophesied “End of Days,” sometimes called acharit ha-yamim (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) in Hebrew. Eschatos (ἔσχατος) refers to the end point of a sequence, indicating its outcome or final expression.
Many think the last days are yet to come, but we were born into the last days and they are rapidly coming to a close. The signs of the times are evident all around us, the increase of violence being one of the more obvious indicators. 2Tim.3. The decline in moral standard and family unity, plus the falling away from the truth of God’s word. The days of Noah and Lot were not just destructive floods of water and fire from heaven they were times of horrendous spiritual conflicts caused by fallen angels who perverted and corrupted all of creation. Gen. 6:7. Is.24:1.
So much so that the Lord God had to destroy their meddling. But He also promised in Genesis 9:11 that He would not destroy the earth again by water, so we can expect only localized flooding and fire from heaven in the form of fire balls and other space debris falling to earth. The biggest flood will be spiritual in nature- challenging our beliefs and our faith. 2 Tim 3:1-13 warns of deceptions, false christs, fallen angels of light and temptations fed to us by demonic entities who are inter-dimensional by nature, not from other planets. They will offer alternate explanations of who we are, where we are from, and when we are. It behoves us to be prepared and fixed on the firm foundation of the rock of our salvation in Messiah Yeshua haMashiach. Matthew 7:24-26. See that you are not deceived.
We must wake up to the realization of when we are in the plan of the ages. Time is short, don’t let it run out before we are ready. Don’t be caught unawares or taken by surprise. We are not to be afraid or scared whether the storm is physical or spiritual, we are to be prepared; and the time for that preparation is now. If we are following the days of counting from the Omer to Shavuot/Pentecost this is also a reminder for spiritual preparation. The disciples were told by Yeshua/Jesus to wait in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem for 49 days, preparing, so they would be ready for the Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit, to be imparted to them at Shavuot/Pentecost. They received power from on high, to equip and enable them to fulfill their callings and destiny in Him. We have freely received and should also be ready, following the count to Shavuot helps in that preparation, especially if we have been taking a spiritual nap!
Fill that oil lamp today, don’t be distracted and put off what we know we must do and be about our Father’s business. Be ready so we can help others and point them to the answer to life; to the truth of where we are, who we are, and when we are… because a storm of supernatural proportions is surely coming and having done all, we are to stand and see the salvation of our Lord. Be certain that He will come as surely as daylight chases away the darkest night. Let us be ready, prepared and looking for His return and be found that good and faithful servant, then we will enter into the full presence and joy of our Heavenly Father. Matt. 25:23.
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen
Keep watch and be ready
for you know not
the hour your Lord comes.
Matthew 24:42-51; Mark 13:34-37; Luke 12:35-48.
Many times Yeshua/Jesus told His disciples/talmidim to be ready. He is saying the same today to all of us, His warning has not changed. Events around the globe are in constant flux and moving at an alarming pace, quite unprecedented in previous generations. These changes are also reflected in the physical earth and its weather phenomena and also cosmic events taking place in our solar system.
Messiah used parables like the familiar one about the 10 virgins and the wedding feast. He warned of the days of Noah being similar to the acharit ha-yamim אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים / end days. Although the parables He used may seem unfamiliar to our present generation, the ways of the world, the sin, violence, idolatry and ungodliness are blatantly obvious. These should be a resounding wake up call in our spiritual ears……that we are without a doubt in the acharith ha-yamim.
Strongs #319: אַחֲרִית acharith —
End, latter time, future, outcome, posterity.
Derived from the root אָחַר (achar), meaning:
“to be behind” or “to come after.”
Some 2000+ years on, we are most definitely closer to the summation of all things than they were then. Our redemption is closer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11-12.
Luke 21:28 informs us that when we
see all these things happening at the same time,
as in events in quick succession,
one after another,
then look up for your redemption draws close.
So are we truly ready for His return?
Whether we are convinced that we are in the last moments of the final hour or not, are we also ready to answer Him when He calls to us?
Personally today may be our last day before we meet Him face to face!
Are we even ready to hear Him calling to us?
Do we give opportunity and time to even listen for His voice?
Our hearts and spirits should be tuned to His Spirit of Holiness at all times, so we can hear and obey.
This readiness is not just a physical posture, but a preparedness of spirit and soul and like Moses in Ex 3:4 who…
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said,
“Here I am.”
and young Samuel also replied quickly to the Lords voice.
God spoke to Samuel for the first time in 1Samuel 3:1–14:
One night, Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of the Covenant. He was woken up by a voice calling him.
And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 1Sam.3:9.
Samuel’s response demonstrated humility and readiness to serve, qualities essential for a prophet. It is also noteworthy that he was sleeping near the ark of the covenant. Such a close proximity to the ark was usually forbidden to all but the High Priest when He entered the inner sanctuary holy of holies on one day a year, Yom Kippur.
Among others, these two examples are models for our own response to our Father’s call. We should be ready and willing to serve when He speaks to us. This is absolutely the readiness our Heavenly Father wants from us.
However when our Father speaks, when Messiah calls and His Spirit of Holiness prompts us; many of us are like people in a fog, and we give no answer because our spiritual senses have become dull and insensitive. Both Moses and Samuel’s reply revealed that:
they knew where they were, and, were ready.
In 2Tim 4:2 The verse says preach the word be ready in season and out of season.
Because the season does not refer to time it refers to us, many of us suffer from the unbalanced tendency to be ready only out of season.
In other words we should be ready whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do some of us would never do anything at all; and because of this there are some people who are totally unemployable in the spiritual realm. They have become spiritually feeble and weak and refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired.
The proof that our relationship is right with our Heavenly Father is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.
One of the worst traps a believer in Messiah/christian worker or minister can fall into is, to become obsessed with their own exceptional moments of inspiration. When the spirit of God gives us a time of inspiration and insight we tend to say. ‘Now that I’ve experienced this amazing time my life will always be like this for God.’ Sadly that is not what will happen because our Heavenly Father will make sure of it. We are not able to give those times to ourselves when we choose to, as those times are entirely His gift to us and we can’t make them happen by ourselves.
If we say we’ll only be at our best as we were during those exceptional times, we actually become a kind of burden on Him; and consequently we’ll never do anything unless our Heavenly Father keeps us consciously aware of His inspiration to us at all times. If we make a god out of our best moments, we’ll find that the presence of the Lord will fade out of our lives; never to return until we are obedient in the work He has placed closest to us. We will find that this will remain so until we have learned not to be obsessed with those exceptional moments He has given us in the past.
Readiness means, having a right relationship with our Heavenly Father and with Messiah; and having knowledge of where we truly are spiritually. Not where we think we are, or would like to be; or where we would like to go, be and do. It is the individual who is ready for the Lords call and the work He has for each of us, that receives the blessing when He calls.
Sometimes we are also guilty of wanting and thinking that some great opportunity will come our way, and if and when it does, then we are quick to respond saying, ‘Here I am’. We mistakenly think that some great task given by Messiah and His Father is worthy of our response; yet we are not ready for what we deem as the insignificant, menial duties of an obscure and simple task.
Our response to the Lord means that we are willing and prepared to do both the largest and the smallest things He asks of us, and to us it makes no difference which of them it is. This means ultimately we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever our Heavenly Father’s plans are – we are there and ready.
It’s our duty, just as it was for Yeshua/Jesus, that whenever the Lord calls, we hear His voice just as Yeshua/Jesus did, and we are ready with our total commitment because of our love for Him.
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19.
None of this should be a hardship considering He is the only one who would die for us. Messiah expects to be able to do with us, just as His Father did with Him, whether it’s what we consider pleasant or menial tasks; because our union with His Father is the same as His union with His Father – we are one. John 17:22.
Our life is not our own
and
we should stop living like it is.
Our life has been bought with a price –
the precious Blood of Messiah.
1Cor. 6:19-20.
We should be ready for surprise visits of the Father, because a ready person never needs to get ready… they are ready…and we won’t have time to get ready after the call, or we will miss the day of our visitation.
Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes;
Luke 12:35-38 & Matthew 25:1-13.
Moses turned aside from what he was doing and went towards the burning bush, and then he was enveloped with the Fathers presence. For us, it is a picture symbolizing everything that surrounds the person who is ready and willing; one who has made a choice to turn towards the Father and His Messiah, one who is on fire with the presence of the Lord God Himself. Let’s continue to encourage each other to keep watch and be ready……..
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
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