Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Crouch Down and Assume the Position....

When you were younger you may remember tornado drills at school. That siren would go off and you would nearly wet your pants getting up out of your desk and following the teachers every instruction, fearful that the tornado was just minutes away from hitting your classroom. Drill or no drill, you acted like it was the real deal because you just didn't know. But as the years passed, you became less and less anxious to crouch down in the hallway like an idiot. I mean after all, you hadn't been caught in a tornado yet so why was this drill any different? So you ignore the warning sirens and the teachers instructions and you think "It hasn't happened yet so it's not going to happen". And slowly, that mentality carries over into your adult life until  one day the siren goes off while you're watching TV and you just stay put, confident that the tornado isn't going to hit YOUR house....but it does. You are caught off guard, and because of your lack of response your life is now at risk -


I feel like that's how we treat the warning signs of life. God gives us warnings time and time again and instead of paying attention and acting on them, we dismiss them, complain about them, and go on about our business.I mean after all, we're still alive right? What doesn't kill us makes us stronger - isn't that the motto a lot of us live by?

Truth is, the warnings we are given are meant to save us, not hurt us. Three times in the book of Revelations Jesus says "I am coming soon".   What does "coming soon" really mean when thousands of years have gone by and no Jesus? I mean, if you saw a commercial for a movie that said "COMING SOON!" and 10 years had gone by you would think "Umm, yeah right. I don't even want to see that stupid movie anymore. It's been 'Coming Soon' for 10 years!"

But Jesus does not see time as we see time. Peter warns in the bible, "There are a lot of people in the last days who are going to dismiss it. Do not forget this one thing dear friends, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises as some understand slowness but rather he is PATIENT with you not wanting anyone to perish but wanting everyone to come to repentance." Bare in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. The longer he waits, the more people are able to hear the warnings and respond. More time = more salvation.

You got that? More time = more people saved. It doesn't mean you have unlimited time, it just means you have MORE time. Time to get it right. Time to listen. Time to act.



I have a saying I use all the time that goes "Every day that you wake up it means God isn't done with you yet." It means more time - It means He's still working ON you or working THRU you to help someone else. Don't miss out on the opportunities in front of you because you get frustrated with work, have a bad day at school, run into some financial trouble, or stumble with day to day life. Each day is a new opportunity to listen and act on what God is filling your heart with. Is he trying to tell you to stop a bad habit? Stop worshiping other things like work, TV, money, your spouse etc. and spend more time with Him? Or is He trying to tell you to reach out to a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or family member who needs guidance?

I once heard a quote that said "Go to heaven and take as many people with you as possible". How powerful is that? The question is, who will YOU take?

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If you're not tired of reading yet and you want to know more about what the bible say regarding the warning signs of the return of Jesus take a look below - I'm sure glad this doesn't describe life today (yeah right!) Two words - BE READY

  1. In the world, before he returns there will be wars and rumors of world wars
  2. When we are in the last days people will call evil good and good evil - You will see a culture that holds up the value of tolerance but becomes increasingly intolerant to the things of God
  3. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of pleasure, lovers of money
  4. There will be false teachers within the church - They will say what itching ears want to hear. They will pick and choose the truths that they want to proclaim based on what people will want to come listen to.
  5. Within the church there will be a rise in persecution - Persecution begins with dis-information. You will have growing reports - growing focus where Christians are going to be portrayed as intolerant. Any news of hypocrisy will be big news. Eventually there will be false accusations made against Christian leaders. 
  6. The whole world will have the chance to hear the gospel. "And the good news about the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all the nations will hear it and then the end will come" - Matthew 24, verse 14
  7. People will ignore the warning signs...It will be as it was in the day of Noah. Jesus warns "Keep watch, because you do not know the day your Lord will come. You also must be ready because the son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him".....In other words, BE READY
  8. There are a lot of people in the last days who are going to dismiss it.....BE READY

1 comment:

  1. Wow Catherine!!! You missed your calling as a writer...this was truly inspiring and VERY TRUE...BE READY...

    ReplyDelete