Christian: a person following Jesus Christ and His Word.
Politically correct: A people-pleasing person following the ” woke movement” and government whims.
Which one are you? You can’t be both, oil and water don’t mix!
No wonder some of us continue to get depressed by what we see on the fake news. The lies and scare tactics never end and thanks to them there is no question we are in or very quickly heading toward an economic crisis. Probably one that many of us have never seen before.
1. For Sale Signs, 2. gas, 3. war, 4. Environment, 5. Weakness of dollar, 6. pure evil in our government and it goes on and on.
Many of you in your own church hurt greatly right now and are struggling to pay your mortgages and feed your families because there is no work. I have listened to the stories. Good people who are just looking for help.
Now more than anytime in probably the last 100 years we have a responsibility as a church to understand what it means to stand firm, and support one another so that no one gets left behind and that together we can guarantee that this economic and world crisis will be overcome because we relied on the power of Christ to get us through it.
This constant bombardment of problems has many people wondering, “Is this the end?” Are we close to the second coming of Christ? Is armageddon around the corner? The short answer is, “who cares.” Is there really a reason to worry about it? Because I don’t have to even open the Bible to tell you that it says one day this world will end. We don’t know the time or the hour it will happen but rest assured this world will end.
The real question we need to be asking in this difficult time is; “What does God say about being ready for it?”
Because as you and I have learned very quickly in the last few years, the government doesn’t have the answer, money does not have the answer, your job does not have the answer, and fighting with your wife or your husband, again about money, is not the answer. I am going to show you the answer. I want to show you what it will take to be ready to get through this crisis or to get through the end of the world. Do you want me to do that… show you the answer? (get down on your knees and hold up your arms with Bible in hand.) Totally and utterly without hesitation, completely SURRENDER to God.
The answer is so simple and is right in front of us but it is always the last resort isn’t it?. We have this hope that maybe, just maybe my job will work out or money will come in, or because gas goes down 20 cents we might be okay. “I know! maybe if everyone gets a tax rebate that will boost the economy and get us out of the slump. YEAH, THAT’S IT.” We continue to put our hope in man and man’s laws and man’s attempt’s to fix our problems that we forget the answer to our crisis has been with us since the beginning of time. What we are going through is not the first crisis to ever hit this earth. Since the beginning of sin, there have been wars, famines, disease, death, pain, suffering, and job loss. There have been natural disasters and strikes and riots.
What is now has already been and what is now will come again. The constant that we can hope for is that God never changes. And because I am not God I cannot confidently predict if what we are seeing today is another sign that the time of Christ’s second return is near or not. But I can confidently say I believe we are closer than ever in our time.
Let’s look at some of the prophecies given by Christ about the last days…
End Time Prophecies:
Luke 21:7-11 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?” 8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” 10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.
What Jesus is speaking on will simply be birth pangs. The worst is still yet to come. When the end gets closer you are going to see these in greater intensity and closer together.
We know many of these things have happened, but there was an event that has already taken place in the 20th century and is what I believe is a major sign of the times, the freeing of Israel as a nation, which took place on May 14, 1948. Israel was reborn and this is the super sign that sets into motion all the other biblical prophecies of the end times. The Bible is the ONLY document in history that predicted this event would take place.
Skip to today. In the book of Ezekiel 38 and 39, it is prophesied that what is modern-day Russia would form an alliance with modern-day Iran and Libya. In 2000 talks about this alliance were beginning. Now, Vladamir Putin has formed an alliance with Iran which has never happened in 2500 years. Russia has also just visited Libya last week to sign a new arms deal with Libya. A long-term alliance has never happened. But now the prophecy from Ezekiel, if interpreted correctly, seems to be coming to reality.
There is also a prophecy that when the end is near a 3rd temple would be built in Jerusalem where the original temples stood. Today a Muslim Mosque stands there, but we know that the architectural plans for the temple are there, clothes for priests are being sewn, and the implements for temple sacrifice are done or are being built. There must be a perfect red heifer for sacrifice. Right now heifers are being genetically engineered to create a perfectly red heifer.
Switch to Iraq. Bible prophecy seems to say that Iraq will become good. Iraq was originally known as Babylon. Supposedly Iraq will one day become the most wealthy and peaceful country on the planet in the last days. Babylon supposedly becomes the center for the rise of the antichrist. So are we making Iraq safe for democracy or safe for the antichrist? Some prophecy scholars will tell you it’s a little bit of both.
Saddam Hussein before being overthrown was rebuilding the city of Babylon (a Vacation hot spot). It is believed that the antichrist would come out of Europe. Daniel 9 says he would be of Roman origin. So supposedly the Roman Empire could potentially rise again. But after the 2nd Lebanon war in 2006, the peace conference was held in Rome. The Italians out of Rome are leading the peacekeeping through the European Union (EU). It was the first time Rome has been involved in the middle east in 1600 years.
Europe is reforming with borderless crossings, one currency, one foreign policy zar, and one economic and political structure, the EU was created by the treaty of Rome in the 1950s.
It was in the news recently about Jimmy Carter meeting with the leader of the Hamas Terrorist to talk about peace. In their talks, the Hamas brought up forming a 10-year peace treaty. this is significant because an exact time has never been given. Peace treaties have been made but never in history has a specific time for peace been proposed. Revelation says a 7-year treaty.
Whether or not you might think these are the last days there is no doubt that we are seeing specific signs laid out in scripture that point to at the very least the reminder that there will be a second coming. It is during these reminder periods of time that we need to evaluate ourselves and ask, “Am I ready?” Am I going all out for God? Am I really living for him? Or am I still playing the game, going with the flow, and more focused on taking care of #1?
Is constant and persistent worry in your life right now overshadowing the faith you should be having in God and the power of the Holy Spirit?
Are doubts and the unknowns of the future causing you to lose sight of the prize that is out ahead of us for those who will remain faithful, diligent, and obedient in the worst of times?
What we need to be doing is instead of dwelling on what we see as bad or the end we need to be transforming and renewing our minds, to the understanding that the difficulty we are going through right now in our lives and in our country is actually good, look at this; James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
now hear me here and understand… I don’t think it’s good that you are struggling, I don’t think it’s good you can’t pay your bills or you might lose your home, but what is good is that you are at a vulnerable point in your life where you have to come to the realization that YOU cannot solve your problem. You are at a great time in your life to realize that without God you will not overcome. And there isn’t a better time than where we are at right now to move from here (standing with head high), to here (on our knees arms raised and head bowed).
All outward appearances of this man point to him being a good man. Law-abiding, good neighbor. A family man who was above suspicion. He was living the good life in the best residential area. He wasn’t wicked or full of evil and deceit. He wasn’t an alcoholic or an adulterer. The man seems to be good yet God calls him a fool. He was a fool because he gave all thought to himself. He was covetous (greedy).
This man’s life is still our modern-day philosophy which says, “eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die.” Our Lord said, “That is exactly the problem. That is what makes a man a fool.” If you live as though this life is all there is, and you live just for yourself, and as though there is nothing beyond death, you are a fool. If you ignore the signs that the end is coming you are a fool. The pursuit of happiness through the American dream is a pursuit of fools because they are chasing after things that will never last. They may bring short-term happiness but they will never bring joy. And as soon as the stocks go down, and gas goes up and jobs get cut that American dream just got flushed down your American toilet. Have you figured it out yet?
We no longer live in a country that understands that without God we will perish, we live in a country that is controlled by greed and power.
Now hear me out… I love my country. I love the founding principles for what our country stands for, but those principles are being cast aside for an attitude of tolerance and a desire for greed and power. You may disagree, but part of me wishes they would take In God We Trust off our money because at this point that sounds like a big lie. Our government and its leaders do not put their hope in God they put it in money and power. It’s all about the bottom line now. Matthew 16:26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?
Psalm 14:1-3 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts; There is no one who does good. 2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind to see if there are any who understand, Who seek God. 3 They have all turned aside, together they are corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.
We are fools to ever put our hope in what we can see, not the other way around. Because what we can see around us will not last. It’s what we can’t see that has the power to overcome. We need to be ready for a time such as this by…
1. Repent– Matthew 11:27-29 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him. 28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
To overcome a crisis there must be new repentance to God. And seek forgiveness for trying to run our own lives, for putting our hope in finite things, for coveting anything besides God. We need to be renewed and righted in our relationship with God giving him total control of our lives.
Have you asked Christ to be your savior? Have you moved from just head knowledge of Jesus to a heart transformation? A life transformation. It MUST begin there. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. . Not a way, but THE WAY. Not by works, or buying your way in. It is only through total and utter surrender to Jesus Christ as savior. All people must repent in order to receive salvation. When you receive salvation you give your life to Christ which means you are now to…..
2. Relinquish Authority
Who is in control of your life? Who is making the decisions? Is it you? We know that won’t work. It’s because of “man” making decisions by their own intelligence is the thing that got us in this crisis in the first place… Greed and power are always corrupt! Many of you are in a financial crisis not because of something God did or did not do but because of the bad decisions that we made without seeking God’s insight. We don’t like to wait on God or give him complete authority because that means that He will probably want us to do something we don’t want to do. He will probably want us to be smarter with money than we want to be. He will probably want us to wait longer than we want to wait. We are like spoiled children who don’t want to listen to our parents.
We don’t want that. We want it now, we want to use our credit cards to buy it and we want the American dream so we build, we charge, we finance, we impulse purchase and when the crisis comes we wonder, “where is God?” God has been here the whole time we just aren’t listening because we aren’t giving him complete control in our lives. Maybe you might be thinking, “Who are you, just a nobody preacher? How could you possibly understand the struggle of what I am going through?”
I know what it’s like to work 2 jobs and be buried in debt. I know what it’s like to live off ramen noodles and wonder how your bills are going to get paid. I understand what you are worried about and I want to tell you now is not the time to sit and sulk and feel sorry for yourselves and live a life of worry, because listen, if God is the captain of your ship called life. then there will be no problem that will conquer you, there will be no crisis that will capsize your boat. There will be no wave that will overcome you.
You can lose your house and you can lose your money and you can lose your family and you can live on the streets but when God is in control of your life it won’t matter, but you will have finally understood what matters most… which is, that this life is not our home. It is only a shadow of what is to come. And the ONLY thing that matters and the ONLY THING THAT EVER MATTERED IN LIFE, TO BEGIN WITH, IS JESUS CHRIST.
You will know if you have relinquished all authority to God by giving yourself a test of worry. If worry controls your life then you have yet to give all authority to God. Some of you are going through difficult times but I have yet to hear about anyone who is missing meals, or who hasn’t had a place to sleep. So why are you worried. Luke 12:22 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason, I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear., 25 And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life’s span? 26 Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. Luke 21:14 So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; Stop Worrying. Luke 21:9 And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”. Give all you are and everything you own to him. When you do that you need to…
3. Rethink Priorities
This is a major obstacle for us. I MEAN MAJOR. How people prioritize their lives is a major frustration in ministry for pastors.
My desire each day when I wake up and when I go to bed is to see spiritual breakthrough in people’s lives whether that is seeing someone accept Christ for the first time and the joy that is on their face or seeing a believer have a revelation, something that takes them to the next level in their walk with Christ. Most pastors are very impatient. We are human just like you and we want to know that our work is going to produce fruit. But the reality is people mature and grow at different paces. So for some, it takes a little longer than others to learn what it means to make Jesus a lifestyle. Sometimes it takes a while for people to grasp that all that matters in life is Christ.
But it is because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring that we MUST have that desire to know and love God more each day. James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. The savior of the world, the one that has saved us from eternity in hell deserves our time. He deserves for us to be with him, pray, and learn from His Word. Through His death, we have eternal life in Heaven. We have a hope to look forward to that most in the world don’t understand yet the actions of our lives don’t reflect our desire to have God first.
How important is God to you? Is he important enough that you cannot wait to get to church to learn something new from the word or to sing his praises, or do you wake up on Sundays feeling, “well I guess I better get up and get ready for church?” Or do you say, “oh it’s snowing maybe they’ll cancel church today?
When you repent and give your life to God and you give all authority to him our priorities must change. Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. “let God”… there’s that total authority again, “change the way you think.” That means changing priorities. If you are not letting God in to change you then you will not grow, and you will not succeed in getting joy in life. You cannot know God’s will for you without letting him change you completely. God cannot change you completely unless you are willing to change your priorities and make him first.
What is the first in your life?
You know what is first in your life by looking at how you spend your time and how you spend your money. We are in such a fast-paced society that if we don’t get it now and if the church takes too long then we get impatient and angry. God has quickly begun to take a back seat to other outside activities that we would rather be doing.
I know the importance that being with believers when it comes to growing and understanding a relationship with Christ (Hebrews 10:23-25 Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.) because when we as parents give in and choose sports or any activity over God we are teaching our children that it’s okay to put God 2nd. When you teach them it’s okay to put God 2nd then you are teaching them that God isn’t that important. We need to establish new priorities so that all people know and our children know that nothing ever trumps God in importance. Not our families, our jobs, sports, or money. God is all that matters.
When we won’t stand firm for a little thing how could we ever be expected to stand firm in the end times when our faith is truly tested and our lives are on the line… We won’t be able to because we won’t be ready.
Our priorities would have been so messed up by then we won’t know how to stand. The best thing you could ever do for your family is to take them down a path that leads to events or programs that promote spiritual growth and the pursuit of holiness in their lives. All the Biblical prophets predicted the end would come. You have seen a glimmer of signs today that prove the end is definitely on its way. We have a major responsibility to make sure we and our families are ready by teaching them now what is more important in life.
Maybe that means we have one less day to do what we want to do. Maybe that means your kid can’t be on the team but in light of eternity does that really matter? God is looking for people who will follow his command in Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you... When you repent, relinquish, and rethink then you will hit the final point of what it takes to be ready for the end. You must…
4. Revive Holiness
Like the 4 great awakenings that have occurred over the last 200 years, we need a 5th great awakening. A revival amongst God’s people to stand firm for holiness. We need a revival that will wake us up and realize that we need to quit looking worrying about the next paycheck or the next program or the next whatever and start getting on our knees and praying for God to bring real revival to our country. We need a fresh desire for prayer, witnessing, ministry, preaching, and teaching. People push salvation as the most important thing. Churches love to talk about how many they saw saved in their churches last year or what their goal is for next year, but it is not our main job to save souls, it’s to disciple them! Salvation is the work of God’s sovereign grace and, “our work as His disciples’ is forms around disciplining other’s lives until they are totally yielded to God.”
I quote, “One life that is totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit.”
We are responsible to revive the thirst for God, the desire to be totally sold out to Jesus Christ. We can’t accomplish this until we repent, relinquish, and rethink. Jesus is looking right now for the spiritually hungry to rise up and bring about revival. Yes, the end is coming. It may happen in our lifetime it may not happen for hundreds or even thousands of years but family, fear not, worry not, because God is our rock and our refuge. There is no enemy that can stand against Him.
Are you ready? Have you repented, relinquished, renewed your thinking, and revived the fire for God in you. Are you; “Seeking first the Kingdom of God…”
I hope this message helps you to think about the importance that the fellowship of the believers in these critical times. Please consider getting into a small group where you can gather people around you who can disciple you and vice versa… Seek first His Kingdom…..
We’re here but a vapor (James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.) eternity never ends, so what will it be… “to believe or not to believe?” That has been the real question through ALL of the ages. Between you and God, where do you REALLY stand?
We here at On The Road For Christ appreciate and Love ya all and pray for blessings and a Godly peace to still your troubled hearts.
Until we get together again … KEEP LOOKING UP!
Semper Fidelis
Dusty
To get in touch with Dusty email him at: prospectorsforgod@gmail.com
My prayer for you:
Precious Lord,
What a joy to serve a loving Father and we come to you this day to praise and thank you for Your grace and mercy. We ask your forgiveness for our sin and ask for Your strength to do better. We ask for the opportunity to serve you more and for direction in our lives. We pray for hearts to seek you and for lives to be turned around and for governments being controlled by evil greedy, power-hungry people to be brought to light using Your “biblical” laws.
Father, we pray for a miracle that will start a revival that will go around the world.
Thank you, Lord, for loving us…
In the name above all names, Jesus Christ, we pray,
AMEN