Prepare by Casting off Fear

Prepare by Casting off Fear

Endnotes

[i] Pride (in us) tries to find the answer to life’s challenges in us; humility casts all cares on the One who wants to help us: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

[ii] This promise is given numerous times in scripture. The Lord wants us to know His help is always available to anyone who calls on Him for anything—lavishly available (“bestowing His riches”). For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him: For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:12-13

[iii] Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

[iv] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion… As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.'" Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. Hebrews 3:7-8, 11-12

[v] For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 MKJV

[vi] There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

Details: Written by Super User; Category: Prepare; Published: April 27 2019; Hits: 1902

Prepare by Taking on Humility

It is well-known that pride goes before a fall. None of us want to fall during the days ahead. We want to walk faithfully, lovingly and bravely through them. That won’t happen if pride gets its way! And pride can be very difficult to see in ourselves. It’s the impulse to put our own needs ahead of others; to trust ourselves, rather than the Lord; and to draw confidence from our own knowledge and strength. This just won’t work in the days ahead. Yielding to the Lord, extending ourselves for others, and a healthy recognition of how little we can do without Him—these are the “secret weapons” of humility. Fortunately, there are ways we can grow it while there’s still time.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

End Times Challenge

The very opposite of Satan’s “man of perdition” is God’s “Man of humility”—Jesus. If we want our Lord to walk closely with us through this time, we will have to “walk humbly” with our God. Love desires it. Guidance requires it: Only humility recognizes the need for God’s wisdom; only humility will obey it. Pride is not an option for the days ahead!

Bridal Response

Step 1. Pray!

Step 2. Make Peace with Weakness

If we can hardly make it through daily life trusting in and relying upon our own strength, how will we hold up under the pressure of the days to come? The answer is stop trusting in and relying upon your self now! Self is no one’s savior. Only Jesus is. He comes to all who ask Him. He strengthens all who rely upon Him. He refreshes all who turn to Him. He lifts the burden off all who cast their cares upon Him. He gives His wisdom freely to all who ask for it. The only thing in the universe that blocks this beautiful out-pouring of grace is pride. If we look to ourselves for the answers or the strengths we need, we’ll miss the mark by a mile. Paul says, “Be strong in the Lord”— not our Self! Only in this way, will we be able to “stand in the evil day.[iii]

A major reason that we keep looking to ourselves is (ironically) our weaknesses. We hate them! We’re always trying to hide them or over-master them. We get a big head (pride) when any of our strengths enable us to triumph over our weaknesses and suffer a thousand deaths when they don’t. Reproaching ourselves for our weaknesses seems spiritual, but it is really pride in disguise. Jesus told us in advance that apart from Him we would be able to do no good thing.[iv] The key is staying connected to Him. Working on keeping that life-giving connection in good working order is the work of enlightened humility. Why waste time faulting yourself for being so weak, so tired, so foolish, so empty-headed, or so inadequate, if these weaknesses are “friendly reminders” from the Holy Spirit to lean on Jesus instead? Just turn from them and grab hold of Him!

The truth is that we need our weakness to keep us humble. God only gives His grace to the humble and only the truly humble realize how much they need it. Since God and His grace are able to triumph over any obstacle we face, the weaknesses aren’t the problem. He has already forgiven you for all your weakness, ignorance, inadequacy—you name it. He fully accepts you just as you are and has made His plans accordingly. He has fool proof plans and (if I can say it), we’re the fools. So, let’s turn around, shake hands with our weaknesses and call them our “tutors” who lead us back to Christ, by reminding us to lean on Him. Paul learned this lesson so well, he said he “boasted” in his weakness. That’s the way to go!

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Next Way to Prepare

Prepare by Casting off Fear The scriptures say that in the Last Days people’s hearts will fail them for fear of the things coming on the earth. That doesn’t have to be us! We have been forewarned both about the perilous times that are coming and of the danger that fear itself will hold for any who have not learned to vanquish this formidable temptation. With all of the other troubles surrounding us, the one thing we won’t need to add is fear. That only makes every problem worse! Worse than that, it can even lead a frightened person to abandon the faith, rather than stay faithful in the face of persecution. Martyrs’ of the past may not have always been entirely fearless, but they stood firm. We would do well to gain victories over fear now, so it won’t gain victory over us later.

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Prepare by Taking on Humility

Endnotes

[iii] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:10 and 13

[iv] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

Details: Written by Super User; Category: Prepare; Published: April 27 2019; Hits: 5262

Prepare by Learning Guidance

Jesus says that His sheep hear His voice.[i] They not only know the scriptures, but they are able to listen for direction, encouragement and correction coming directly from Him. In the days ahead, it won’t be enough to know His Word. It’s won’t be enough to hear from His prophets. It’s highly likely that we will all need to listen directly to Him in one situation of danger or hardship after another. The truth is that we should all be doing this now! If we aren’t, there is still time to learn, but guidance isn’t a science that can be taught in a classroom. It’s an art that is best learned by daily practice. Here’s how.

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

End Times Challenge

Looking ahead looks murky. The times coming will be filled with confusion, deception and dangers on every side. We will need to know how to listen to the Lord for life-saving strategies and for daily steps of guidance to get us through. How will we do it then, if we can’t do it now? Let’s take every day as an opportunity to grow “ears to hear and eyes to see.”

Bridal Response

Step 1. Pray!

This must be repeated with every new challenge, because our usual reaction is to look to past experience and our abilities and say, “No way!” or try slugging it out bravely in our own strength. We all-too-easily forget that our strength is in Him, our hope is in Him—not in ourselves. So, if the Holy Spirit is making us aware (waking us up) to a fresh challenge, then the first thing the Lord wants us to do is cast that care on Jesus, because He cares for us enough to help us with it.[ii] Pray, therefore, until fear and doubt fall away. Jesus is willing and able to help us with anything, that’s why He guarantees in scripture that if we call on Him, He will rescue/save/help us every time.[iii] How much do you have to call? Cry out in prayer until you receive confidence that He has heard you and the help is on the way.

Step 2. Acknowledge, Trust, Obey

Step two—learning guidance—has three parts to it: acknowledge, trust and obedience. First, the Lord says that if we “acknowledge” Him, He will “make straight and plain” our paths. The truth is that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have already been guiding us without our noticing it.[iv] Come on—if this weren’t true you would be dead by now, or in jail, or worse. The best way, therefore, for gaining eyes to see and hears to hear guidance is by learning to recognize what He is already doing. Try this simple exercise. At the end of each day ask the Lord to show you where He helped you, or guided you, or gave you ideas that you were too busy or distracted to notice. Then, acknowledge Him! Thank Him for guiding you and for opening your eyes to see how He was doing it. This hindsight turns unconscious guidance into awake and aware guidance once you apply it as foresight. And by the way, slow down and you’ll notice more; keep a quiet spirit and you’ll hear more.

Trust is the golden key to guidance. Worry accomplishes nothing. Straining to “hear” something fails miserably. Entire surrender to Jesus brings us into that heavenly place on earth where we trust the Lord with all He is allowing, all He is sending, all He is withholding and all He is asking of us. Whenever surrender enters our heart at such a level, trust infuses our being with peace and the Holy Spirit lifts and leads us by a gentle “knowing” of the next right thing to do. This is the River of Peace and we will all need to learn how to swim in it, especially as the flood of unrighteousness fills the world around us.[v] See "Walking in the Spirit" for more on guidance.

Finally, there is the “O” word: obedience. The disciple’s “cross” of obedience will save us if we let it crucify our fallen nature.[vi] But woe to us if we don’t.[vii] The test comes when the Lord shows us something that He wants us to do that we don’t want to do, or warns us not to do something, that we are itching to try. Watch out! Guidance grinds to halt when we take the wheel. As the saying goes, “Jesus is Lord of All, or He isn’t lord at all.” Jesus never shows us His will to satisfy our intellectual interest. No, He shows us so that we will obey Him. Precisely, because we often don’t want to obey Him, the “surrender prayers” are necessary: “Lord, help me want to want what you want and hate what you hate. Make me willing to be made willing to surrender everything to you.” Keep praying and keep moving forward! Practice makes perfect.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17

Next Way to Prepare

Prepare by Taking on Humility It is well known that pride goes before a fall. None of us want to fall during the days ahead. We want to walk faithfully, lovingly and bravely through them. That won’t happen if pride gets its way! And pride can be very difficult to see in ourselves. It’s the impulse to put our own needs ahead of others; to trust ourselves, rather than the Lord; and to draw confidence from our own knowledge and strength. This just won’t work in the days ahead. Yielding to the Lord, extending ourselves for others, and a healthy recognition of how little we can do without Him—these are the “secret weapons” of humility. Fortunately, there are ways we can grow it while there’s still time.

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Prepare by Learning Guidance

Endnotes

[i] To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Luke 10:3-4

[ii] Pride (in us) tries to find the answer to life’s challenges in us; humility casts all cares on the One who wants to help us: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

[iii] This promise is given numerous times in scripture. The Lord wants us to know His help is always available to anyone who calls on Him for anything—lavishly available (“bestowing His riches”). For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him: For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:12-13

[iv] He told Israel that He “carried” them: The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.' Deuteronomy 1:30-31

[v] For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. Isaiah 66:12

[vi] And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

[vii] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:24

Details: Written by Super User; Category: Prepare; Published: April 27 2019; Hits: 1969

Prepare with Strong Fellowship

The picture Paul gives in Ephesians of Christian maturity is of believers who have united together, finding their place and purpose within the Body of Christ as a whole. Not a fractured Body, but a living, loving whole, undivided by bitterness, jealousy and suspicion. To survive the troubled times ahead, we will need to be in close, committed fellowship with other believers. That means we will need to trust each other and sacrificially serve one another at more than superficial levels. If we can’t do that now, how can we expect to be a part of the “spotless” Bride for whom the Lord is returning?

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

End Times Challenge

We know, we have been warned, that there will be a great falling away from the faith at the End of the Age.[i] The enemy wants to “reap” that great falling away. How can we make sure that we won’t end up in his net?

Bridal Response

Step 1. Pray!

This must be repeated with every new challenge, because our usual reaction is to look to past experience and our abilities and say, “No way!” or try slugging it out bravely in our own strength. We all-too-easily forget that our strength is in Him, our hope is in Him—not in ourselves. So, if the Holy Spirit is making us aware (waking us up) to a fresh challenge, then the first thing the Lord wants us to do is cast that care on Jesus, because He cares for us enough to help us with it.[ii] Pray, therefore, until fear and doubt fall away. Jesus is willing and able to help us with anything, that’s why He guarantees in scripture that if we call on Him, He will rescue/save/help us every time.[iii] How much do you have to call? Cry out in prayer until you receive confidence that He has heard you and the help is on the way.

Step 2. Forgive and Embrace

The Lord’s antidote for the world (with all its woes) is the church. Don’t think buildings. Think people. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? We rarely get wounded by or offended with the architecture; it’s with the people on the inside. Nevertheless, Jesus’ plan evidently includes making sure we come into close personal fellowship with other believers. That sounds good and can be really great, but it also includes rubbing shoulders with people who are sinful like ourselves (though perhaps in different ways). If we have not learned how to say grace over this, we are already “falling away” from the condition of heart Jesus requires of us. He said we are to love one another in the same way that He loves us.[iv] His kind of unselfish, sacrificial, over-coming love can only be grown in close, committed relationship with people of His choosing. That’s the church.

When we are united with one another a supernatural “force multiplier” goes to work. We are dangerous to the enemy’s kingdom when we stand “as one” against him. Likewise, Jesus can do wonders at advancing His kingdom when we are all pulling at the oars with one heart and mind. Knowing this, the enemy has done his best to sow discord and offense within the Body. Already there are many who have dropped out, become discouraged, lost their passion and ceased “meeting together” with other believers. We are all going to have to work at overcoming this self-defeating tendency! Maybe we aren’t overcome by it (yet), but probably we know and love some who are. What can be done?

Offense is a combination of pride and unforgiveness. We hold Christians and Christian leaders to a higher standard, but we forget that we need mercy all the time, especially for the judging we do of fellow believers. Jesus commands us to love and forgive one another from the heart (For help with how to do this, see "Freedom through Forgiving"). Until now, He seems to give grace on this issue, weighing with compassion the wounds we carry and, therefore, not bringing our own sin of cold love under strict judgment. But the time is coming when “cold love” will cause many to become lost. So, let’s practice the warm love of a rekindled heart by forgiving everyone for everything and re-open our hearts wide to loving every fellow believer--exactly as Jesus already forgives and loves us. Close fellowship is a luxury now. It will be life-support in the future.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Next Way to Prepare

Prepare by Learning Guidance Jesus says that His sheep hear His voice. They not only know the scriptures, but they are able to listen for direction, encouragement and correction coming directly from Him. In the days ahead, it won’t be enough to know His Word. It’s won’t be enough to hear from His prophets. It’s highly likely that we will all need to listen directly to Him in one situation of danger or hardship after another. The truth is that we should all be doing this now! If we aren’t, there is still time to learn, but guidance isn’t a science that can be taught in a classroom. It’s an art that is best learned by daily practice. Here’s how.

Free Downloads

Prepare with Strong Fellowship

Endnotes

[i] And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matthew 24:10

[iv] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34

Details: Written by Super User; Category: Prepare; Published: April 27 2019; Hits: 2189

Prepare by Studying the Scriptures

As always, the written Word is our anchor and our rock-solid source of revelation. Since over 100 chapters in the Bible carry messages about the Last Days, we would be wise to study them. Those passages are there for a reason. Apparently, Jesus believes that His Church will need to know with an absolute assurance many vital things about the days ahead. Much has already been gathered by others and we can learn from them, but as we know, nothing takes the place of hearing for yourself “what the Spirit says to the churches.” There is so much that is still “hidden in plain sight” that will need study, unfolding events and revelation by the Holy Spirit to make known.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

End Times Challenge

Jesus warned us repeatedly that the Last Days will be extremely deceptive times. This has already begun. Falsehood alaready fills the airways and the web. But, only the truths of scripture will prepare us to recognize and resist the lies that are soon coming.

Bridal Response

Step 1. Pray!

Step 2. Study the Bible!

There is no substitute for picking up the Bible and spending lots of time in it: reading it, marking it, taking notes on it, memorizing it for yourself, as well as by listening to good Bible teachers, going over it with friends and pouring through commentaries. You may say, “But that sounds like a lot of work!” Indeed, it is, but so is farming. Bread doesn’t show up on our tables by magic—it takes a lot of work to get seeds to the point of being sustenance. We are likewise going to have to bring the seed of God’s Word to the point of real sustenance in our lives, becoming workers who “rightly handle the word of truth.”

Fortunately, we don’t have to do this alone, or even as drudgery. The Holy Spirit wrote the Book and loves every word in it. He genuinely loves opening passages to our understanding and—if we are open to Him—He shares His joy with us, as He “guides into all truth.”[iii] Not only that, but Jesus is the Truth that Holy Spirit seeks to reveal through every passage. Scripture is, therefore, a life-saving connector to Jesus which also works as a life-line for pulling us away from wrong thoughts and actions (The "Big Five" Connecters to Jesus). Our lives may very well depend upon how well we know and believe the scriptures.

The truth is we will need to know the whole counsel of the Word of God and walk in it. It will never do to only focus on the Last Days’ texts. That’s because it is never enough just to seek information from the Bible. If transformation doesn’t also occur, deception will fill the void. Remember the Pharisees? They knew the scriptures better than anyone, but entirely misunderstood what God was doing in their day and even opposed the true believers. Their sin was being hypocritically judgmental. They judged without remembering mercy.

Please take this simple test: Have you forgiven absolutely everyone in your past and your present—from the heart? If you have then, you have gained a mercy-based way of looking at sinful humanity and are obedient to the clear command of Jesus in scripture. In that case, He will continue to reveal Himself and His will to you.[iv] This will also prepare you for the times of lawlessness and offense that are coming, because you already know how to join Jesus on the Mercy Seat interceding for sinners. If not, you are already deceived by being a hearer of the word, not a doer. You are at risk of being swept away by the flood of judgmental and condemning attitudes that will turn the world against Christians and even Christians against Christians. The web is already flooded with this by those who think they “know” the scriptures. Be on guard!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. James 1:22 and 26

Next Way to Prepare

Prepare for Judging Prophecies Scripture is our unfailing guide, but it doesn’t cover all the details of upcoming events. Fortunately for us, the Lord is already raising up prophets with visions, dreams and even direct encounters with Jesus and the righteous angels so that we can have prophetic guidance in the days ahead. Unfortunately, the enemy is doing the same! All manner of misinformation, demonically inspired visions, rumors, and lies are being spread abroad in the land—just as Jesus foretold. We must never be discouraged that there are so many false prophets, but keep seeking out the true ones. Here are guidelines for better listening.

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