Transcript: Wake Up to Salvation: A Call to Repentance and Faith

Music Music As I was seeking the Lord for a word to bring you today, I kept hearing what I believed the Lord to say. Sound the trumpet of the forthcoming times and warn my people to be ready for these days. And give them hope for their future in the promises I have already given. So that they do not become weary of well-doing and neglect their duties and responsibilities to me. So out of obedience to the Holy Spirit and my Lord Jesus Christ, I am going to bring you a word that is vital to the body of Christ. It is a wake-up call for many of us. As Christians, it is important to our physical well-being, but mostly it is vital for our spiritual well-being. Let's open our Bibles and begin to read in Acts 2.16. Acts 2.16. But this is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel. blood and fire and vapor of smoke, the sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. Well, these scriptures are talking about the last day harvest. Yes, there is going to be a great move of God. But verse 20 says that after God pours out his spirit, the sun shall be turned into darkness before the coming of the great and awful day of the Lord. Where and how do you and I fit into God's scheme of things in these days that many are calling the last days? These days will be all about Jesus Christ and about its coming in all power, in all glory with the armies of heaven riding with him. Jesus Christ is coming for his bride. I ask you today, are you personally preparing for that day? Scripture declares, the Holy Spirit says, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the desert. What a warning to us all. We're living in the days where there is much apostasy in the church. I hope you heard that with the urgency in which I said it. We are living in days today, right now, where there is much apostasy that is permeating the church, dear ones. We have gotten away from the simple foundational truths and principles of God's word which leads us into the meat and the very depth of Christ's mysteries and secrets through the revelation of precious Holy Spirit spoken of in Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1 17. There is a present move in the church which is affecting many many unsuspecting and ignorant and uninformed Christians under the guise of an apostolic reformation. These people use buzzwords like DNA, dominion, God's chosen ones, seven mountain theories, and their interest in New Age religion is extended along with unusual and much conversation about angels and so on. They believe that God lost control of the earth in the Garden of Eden to Satan when our first parents sinned. And their belief is that the church must rise up and take it back and put the enemies of God under their feet. This is totally contrary to God's word. Jesus declares throughout the New Testament that he has been given all power and all authority by his Father in heaven. Paul's epistle in 1 Corinthians 15, 24 declares, after the end comes, the completion of time, when he, Jesus, delivers over the kingdom of God to the Father. Hear that. Jesus delivers the kingdom to God the Father after rendering inoperative and abolishing every other rule and authority and power. For Christ must be king and reign until he has put all of his enemies under his feet. So we see who has been given all power, all authority, and who will put what under his feet. You see, this group of apostles have formed strategies and plans and have appointed individual territories and subsequent authority over these cities and states. They believe that they must take over the world for Christ. And to do this, they take over their homes, the church, schools, government and policies, the media, arts and entertainment, and sports, and finally commerce, science and technology. They believe that until they conquer this earth, Jesus cannot come back. And he's held in heaven until they do. Now, this move has claimed over 100 million Christians around the world at this present time. And it is highly organized. And their intent is to take over the world for Christ, they say. We also live in a day and time where we have as a church set a whole raft of records. I don't believe that we have seen since the 1500s records be set for the most financially corrupt age in the church as we have it today. There was an error or age in the church where you could have your sins erased out of God's ledgers for cash. We don't do that today. But with our setting up ATM machines in our churches between the pews to provide convenience for our churchgoers, our mass mailings, business reply envelopes, four-colored brochures, professional mass marketing and fundraising campaigns, and sermons on stewardship, the pastor has already become one of the best marketing specialists and promoters that puts the world to shame. The world even comes to the church to see how we do it. And we say, it is God. Many of these Christian leaders live in a materialistic world and comfortable mansions ranging from one to three million dollars and have no shame in their extravagant way of living. We have more and more men and women walking the earth today with doctorates in theology than any other age of time. And there are endless reams of papers and books written on endless varieties of subjects. An age that produces men and women who deliver mind-boggling sermons on the how-to doctrines of prayer or how to live this Christian way of life and how to know God, how to worship God, but yet know very little of its deeper experiences for themselves. we live in an age where a great many of the people in the church and its leaders really do not know jesus christ in a real and deep and intimate way for many their lives behind the pulpit and what they preach is contrary to their secret way of life which god exposes in its proper time referential and obedient fear of the lord is a lost path for a great majority And we as the church talk about chasing God and being God lovers and being passionate about Christ and have written many books on these subjects, but have only produced sterile, sophisticated and passionate gestures towards God who know very little of Jesus Christ in death. We as the church seem to look for the gifts and the anointing and run somewhere for the presence of God. We seem to want to run somewhere to have hands laid on us so that some kind of ministry or gift that will be imparted to us. Instead of looking for the one and the only gift that God gave to the world, and that is the Son, Jesus Christ. We seem to want to run quickly to the altar to receive a blessing instead of the one who blesses us. We've gotten so far away from the true mission and purpose of the church, and that is to point people to Jesus Christ. Instead, we draw them to all the activities in the galas that will keep them entertained and feeling good about church. This approach to church doesn't provide the loving care and nourishment that God intended for his leaders to carefully equip and build up his precious church. now having given you some of the real and raw facts and conditions of the church today i ask you what are you doing to prepare yourselves for these days that lie right ahead of us i'm sure most of you are aware the condition of the world today america is a nation who is dying in her sleep. Our United States of America stands on the brink of going broke and also is faced with a battle for her freedom as a nation under God, as the war is on to make her come under the banner of socialism and next-step communism. Our Christian freedoms and God-given rights, according to the Constitution are hard fought for as the war wages on. And never have we in the United States of America been faced with such challenges as we are faced with today. We could easily, at any given moment today, be like Pakistan, without food, medical help, and all the necessities of life. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord there and many pastors and church leaders say that they had lost everything, including the seed to plant next year's crop. They have no food, no clothing, no shelter. And as I said in a moment, we too could be there because of lack of true leadership in our nation. these precious people live in a nation where living out their christian faith is very difficult because it is a muslim nation and these people were told during this disaster in pakistan that if they would convert to the muslim faith they would be given provision but they refused and instead go without food without clothing or shelter because they refused to renounce jesus Christ. Dear ones, what can we look forward to in this time? What promises do we have? There is a prophesied time to come that scriptures call a great falling away that will occur during the last days. Over 12 years ago, an article in a leading Christian magazine stated that over the last 10 years at that time, 112 million Christians in the United States have left the church and are wandering around. And since that date, it is now 22 years later. How long is long in God's time frame? When will Christ return? I don't know, and you don't know either. But we have warnings in scripture that tell us to be ready at all times because Jesus will come like a thief in the night. We have the warning as well in 2 Thessalonians 2.3 which declares let no one deceive or beguile you in any way for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come. We know according to the book of Matthew 24, where it speaks about the terrible time of tribulation in the end times, that there will be earthquakes, natural disasters, and so on, besides the great falling away, that these signs and happenings indicate the return of Jesus Christ. As we have discussed, there is a great apostasy being set up, and I might add that it is not including only one segment of the church, but it is crossing all denominational lines It began with the Pentecostal and or charismatic denomination first and then and now is spilling over into others with their agreement and consent to lead their flocks in the same direction Will you be one of those in these end times whom God will not pass over as he passes out the gift of ministry and anointing to be effective in the last day harvest? The book of Matthew 24 speaks about these last days and the great harvest that will take place. Matthew 24, verse 11. And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error. And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity. But he who endures to the end will be saved. and this good news of the kingdom, the gospel, will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then will the end come. How can we be sure that we are in God's will and will be included as one of those who will be instrumental in bringing in the lost and equipping them in this great harvest if we should live until that time? Look with me, please, in Ephesians 1.3. Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves. Verse 7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. He has made known to us the mysteries of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on the earth under one head, even Christ. Verse 11. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works everything out in conformity to the purpose of his will, that we who are the first to hoping Christ might be for the praise of his glory. Did you know that these verses are declaring that you and I were chosen by the Father in the past, long before the creation of the world? And that means that the Father saw you and me before we even existed. He loved you, dear one, when you existed only in his eternal idea. What love he has for you. This great love of God was all the while reaching through the eternal ages of time, never once lessening or wavering until he laid a hold of you and redeemed you by his son's precious blood for such a time as this. Chosen by the father in the past and redeemed by the son in the present. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. God chose us for salvation and sanctification before the foundation of the world to make us in his image and likeness and has presently given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. Verse 4 says that while he himself was in the planning stage, he had chosen us in him. He predestined us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. All of this springs from the infinite love of God's nature because he loves us. I don't know about you but this thrills me and excites my spirit and because of the reality of his truth the Holy Spirit begins to witness the revelation of this as a truism which is more real than life itself God loves me he chose me and he predestined and adopted and called me he has washed me free from my sins and in his own blood to be holy and blameless in his sight. And he has a plan for my life. He has a plan for your life, too, as you live in Jesus Christ, his son. These things will only happen, dear ones, as we truly live in Christ. And if you don't understand what living in Christ really means, then please do your homework and be a good student of the word. Jesus Christ is the head of his precious church and he shall have the bride whom he died for because he had a promise from his father Apostle Paul in these scriptures that we have just read prayed and thanked God for the people he prayed that God would show them just who Christ really is and what he has really done for them and what he has provided for them and most importantly who they are in him. Dear ones, we are the body of Jesus Christ, the only true and living God. We are in covenant with him and each other. We are in a new gospel era. And we need to understand truly the verse in Ephesians 1. Typically when people hear that God has predestined them, They first think about the work that he has for them to do. They think about the action or the doing before the conforming. And mistakenly, many ignorant Christians run out to do something for God, even if it's wrong. I call it putting the cart in front of the horse. Instead, they need to reread these verses and see first things first. God called us, chose us, predestined us, he elected us to first be made in his image and likeness according to his plan. He works out everything in our conformity to the purpose of his will, that we might be for the praise of his glory, that we might be truly, true worshippers of him. But this will never happen, precious ones, if you never sit at your master's feet. And neither can you know his plan or will for your life. If you never sit long enough for the wonderful work of conformity or sanctification to take place, you will never learn to hear his sweet and tender voice. Sitting at his feet does not speak about passivity. Quite the contrary. Paul said to Timothy, Son, study to show yourself approved of God. I believe we can really see the parable of the ten virgins here. There was a time when they were all asleep. But the difference is, when the call came, that clarion call, the five wise virgins kept their lamps full and they had extra reserve of oil on hand. the keeping our lamps full signifies the pure light of jesus christ that causes the light of holiness to shine forth from us holiness represents the beauty of the lord and this is called the truth the oil represents the holy spirit's presence and anointing the oil typifies the Spirit's wisdom and righteousness. Everything of the Spirit points and directs us to Jesus Christ. And God will use people like this. As your soul dies to its own fleshly desires and turns itself humbly to obey the great and living God because of deep love and respect for him, then the light of God's holy conformity in your life is kindled and becomes radiant, and it shines forth before God and men to accomplish what it is purposed to do. This is a wise place to be now in this present moment. And not only that, it will last into eternity and provide you a place at the bridegroom's table at the marriage supper of the Lamb. and this is what we are predestined to become the bride of Christ and this is why we were called and chosen we are to be a reflection of him we've been called to be holy in our conduct the ultimate goal of our election is that we might bring praise and glory to God and be known as true worshippers of God Jesus saw you first in his eternal idea before the ages of time began. And then he reached through the eons of time, never once wavering, never once lessening his determination until the moment that he caught your attention and gave you the unction in your spirit that you needed his son, Jesus Christ, and he laid a hold of you. He saw you as part of the bride whom he loves very much. But Jesus will not marry anyone who does not really love him. Most wonderful love story of this quest to the father to find a bride for his son is found in Genesis 24.1 in the account of Abraham calling his trusted servant, Eleazar, who is representative of the Holy Spirit, who went searching for a bride for his son Isaac, who is representative of Jesus Christ himself. And these scriptures tell us when Eleazar found Rebecca, he described her as very beautiful and attractive. She was chaste and very modest. And this is the kind of bride that Jesus Christ will have. She will be beautiful in his holiness. she will be chaste and she will be modest not in dress and demeanor only but also in her inner thought life and the way that she expresses herself in her outward conversations this servant once he knew that rebecca was the one chosen for isaac's bride he lavished her with gifts and then he asked her parents for her hand in marriage on behalf of his master's son The key to this whole story that we are discussing lies hidden in verse 58 of this chapter. And it is when Rebecca's family asked her, Are you willing to go with this man? And she answered, Yes, I will go. Dear ones, when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you not only received the best gift ever, But you made a commitment to follow him. You received the clarion call to come forth out of the darkness and follow the lamb wherever he goes. Me too. And the Holy Spirit, just like Eleazar, lavishes God's elect with gifts and promises and blessings. And the love story between Isaac and Rebekah is wonderfully profound. The love that they had for each other is the kind of love that Jesus Christ has for his bride. She follows him because she loves him dearly. And he jealously protects her. You were asked from the beginning of your call, your invitation to come to Christ. Will you go with this man? I ask you, have you been following the lover of your soul, your bridegroom, with a burning love for him and a passion that is full of hunger and thirst that will not rest or be quenched? Song of Songs. Chapter 1, verse 4. The maiden says to her lover, Draw me after you. We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice in you and be glad. We will extol your love more than wine. The upright love you. The maiden in Song of Songs says, we will run after you. Once the love for her lover was awakened in her inmost being, her spirit and soul is the we. They desired his righteousness and love more than anything else. and she ran after him. Another place in this book, she says in Psalms 5.8, If you find my beloved, tell him that I am sick from love, simply sick with longing to be with him. Do you long for his righteousness and justice in your life more than anything else Do you have this longing in your heart to be alone with your Jesus just to spend time with him in fellowship His justice is his correction. The Lord disciplines those whom he loves. And these kinds of people are very teachable. They learn to love the rebuke of the Lord. And you see, God will use people like this to impact his kingdom for Christ's sake. People like this, who have a constant and continuous ardent zeal for the lover of their soul, will not have to worry about being deceived or falling away into air in these days that lie ahead, because they have been like young Timothy, who have taken the word serious and studied to show themselves approved by God and are prepared for what may come. These have learned to walk in the Spirit and are growing in maturity and quickly discern the holy from the profane and will not compromise their place of standing in Christ. God will use willing vessels like this to touch people right around them. And there is such a need in the world today, precious ones. We don't have to have a worldwide known ministry to be effective for Christ's kingdom. We just need to have a deep love for Jesus Christ and his Father and be obedient to do what we know we should do. Fellowship with your Creator is the most important thing in yours and my life right now at this time. And developing an intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit will usher in every promised blessing intended for this earth life and will also open every door to ministry that God has for you to do. With this kind of relationship with God, he can trust you with the greater things. The bride is the one who truly loves the lover of her soul. Will you tarry for him? While you tarry, will you keep your lamp full? When Peter gave the scripture in Acts 2.17 about the spirit being poured out, there were initially 500 who were waiting for it to happen, but only 120 tarried for it. And once the spirit was poured out, Peter then connected it to repentance for those who would then afterwards receive it. When the crowd asked Peter what they must do to be saved, Peter said, repent and be baptized, everyone, in the name of Jesus Christ. It's still the same today. Those who repent and tarry for the Lord to fulfill his good work in them while he prepares them for the work ahead will be involved in this promised end-time ministry that we read about in the book of Isaiah, in Daniel, the Gospel of Matthew, the Book of Acts, the Book of Revelation. As was stated, we are in a new Gospel era where this prophecy is slated to happen in great magnitude as such as the world has never seen before. What things at this time are you holding on to that prevent you from coming into a deeper experience with your Christ? I ask you, are you willing to tarry for Jesus, precious one? Is serving Jesus weighty upon your heart? Do you long to see the loss brought into the fold of the Father? How do you and will you fit into God's eternal plan? Prophetically, do you know what God has purposed for you to do specifically to impact his kingdom? since predestination stands closely connected with the sovereignty of God could you at this present moment be standing on the threshold of a Kairos moment in your life where eternity and your reason for being meet and intersect for such a time as this just as it did for example with Moses or Daniel or Paul, JL, Deborah or Esther who was born for such a time as this Are you walking in that call now to some degree or extent, even though you are still in the making and molding of the Lord's good work in you? Do you need a paradigm shift or a course correction to get outside your box and let Christ be Christ in your life? You know, we're talking as well here in certain terms that the Bible describes as making your calling and election sure. predestination speaks about the fullness of time or the appointed time predestination and election seem to go hand in hand and i want to give you encouragement in what you can do in a focus and preparation for being in the will of god and walking in his spirit for such a time as this for many of you you are in a great time of transition you know god is doing something wonderful and new in your life. For some of you, you are being awakened in your spirit as to the reality of the Holy Spirit's presence and power. And you feel such a stirring in your spirit. And in a way, you could say that you feel very pregnant and full with something new. Can't put a finger on it. But God is transitioning you into a new level in him and showing you some of his wonderful mysteries and secrets that you've been crying out for in your prayer time with him. The first thing I would like to say to you is don't get stuck in your transition. The first thing we do when we are in transition is to start doubting God and what he has shown us or spoken to us. For many, you know that God is increasing your tent pegs and stretching you to believe him for the greater spiritual assignments. But so many times we allow the fears to enter in when we think about the natural, about how could God possibly bring all this to pass? How will the provision come about to do the things that God has been asking me to do? Doubt after doubt seems to come in wave after wave. One day you are completely confident about it, The next you fall into hopelessness and impatience and start demanding that God give you the answers right now. Anxiety wants to rule. All the emotions come into play during these times. And quite frankly, precious one, this pleases the Lord because he allows us to see ourselves as we really are. Will you have faith and trust God and learn to wait on him so we can bless you? You know, Isaiah 30 verse 18 says, Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love. He'll conquer you to bless you, just as he said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. God is desirous to conquer your heart completely so that he may own you entirely so that you may hear his voice succinctly and obediently carry out his will. And you'll find that through this Christian journey, there are things that you can do to make these times of transition easier. God has given us prophetic promises to propel us forward and upward into another level in him. But you must believe in these promises and start declaring them over your life, Even when the enemy comes to tell you that you have no future or no matter what it looks like, it tastes like, smells like, or any other physical sense or emotion that wants to rule in the moment. If you want to walk in and do what God has specifically designed for you to do to impact his kingdom, then you must dig your own ditches. the book of 2 Kings 3.16, God ordered all of the people of Israel, Judah and Edom, to dig ditches so that his power and blessing might be seen as he would send it their way. Now the blessing of water came rolling forth from a distance they could not see. They obeyed by digging the ditches and God brought the water to water their animals, provide the water for their crops and their own needs. You see, you cannot sit idly by and wait for God to move, but you must get busy and dig. That means dive into God and his plans for your life and be obedient in what he is showing you to do at this moment of time. I believe ways that you can prepare to receive God's blessing and power to stand in these uncertain days ahead and also prepare for the ministry that he has for you are these certain areas that he has impressed upon my heart as being very important in his eyes for the true success of any spiritual life and coming into a deep and true fellowship with him and also to be approved by him for any real ministry that he has for you and me. The first area in God's heart is, first, work on and develop and maintain an intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, your shepherd, and stay close to him. Model yourself after Jesus. Learn to love what he loves, hate what he hates. Stay close to Jesus by developing daily contact with him through the Holy Spirit in your time of devotions, in the word, through prayer, and meditation, and worship. This will be the first ditch that you will want to dig. This daily fellowship with the lover of your soul will determine the road and success of your future in God. Develop a vibrant prayer life. It is vital that it be living and active. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in your intercession, and when you do, you will find that he will come and join you and kiss you with his wonderful presence every time. Many people hit and miss on this one. Instead of sowing time and developing a one-on-one spirit-to-spirit fellowship with their God. They compromise and reason with themselves. The God knows their hearts and busy schedules, so they throw God a kiss on the way out the door and give him a little hand clap here and there. How empty, how vain and futile, and how shallow. Hosea 10, 12 declares, Sow for yourself seeds of righteousness. Precious ones, everything worthwhile will cost you something and Jesus Christ is worth it all. Second area to dig is Jesus was orderly in his life and ministry. And this order is demonstrated in the sheer fact that he was God and fully man and this order exemplified itself in the way that Jesus conducted his life and ministry on this earth. Since God is a God of order, that means that he hates disorder and confusion of every kind. We all know the author of those. Before Jesus will open a door for you or me to walk in our God-given call, he will require that we first understand this fact. And if you do not understand this principle of divine order in your life, you will miss walking in the very best that God has for you. In everything that Jesus did, he did it to please his Father in heaven. What Jesus did on the earth determined his success as our Savior and King. And we too, in order to please our Heavenly Father, must resemble his Son in every way. That is, in purity of our motives, honesty, sincerity, and all that we say and do. And you and I are to grow into full age, or better said, we are to become mature and complete in Christ. Jesus is looking for this kind of maturity in everything you and I do and touch. It does not just pertain to the spiritual, but also to the physical. I can tell you, not only does God want divine order in your spiritual life, but he wants it in your physical life too. And this means order in your family, order in your household, order in your workplace, order in your business. and as you begin to take concern and care and responsibility for the things around you and the things that God has blessed you with, mainly because it is the right thing to do, then the spiritual manifestation of this perfection begins to blossom and show forth as the beautiful internal fruit of change that is taking place in you as well. The way you live your life speaks volumes for the divine order and structure in both your spiritual life and also in the natural. And I'm not talking about being compulsive, obsessive here Amen Maybe we can see and understand in a small way at this point After Jesus has risen from the grave he unwound the grave clothes and left them neatly folded in the tomb I don't know about you, but this really speaks to me. And this fact has changed my life in so many ways, both spiritually and in the natural, to see and understand that when our precious Savior had suffered such brutal and horrendous beatings, died and went to hell on our behalf and fought for our freedom so that we would not have to go there. The Holy Spirit then raised him from the dead. And Jesus awakens in the tomb and he unwound the grave clothes about his head. And then he neatly folds it and leaves it lying there. Divine order and structure in your way of life will be one of those main points that goes along with developing and maintaining an intimate fellowship with your Savior. And the third point here is be sure to keep your word. Many people dig their own ditch off the tried and true path with this one. They never move to the new level because they are careless with their words. God absolutely hates it when people say they'll do something and do not keep their word. God promises us that his word will not come back void to him. He is telling us that we can depend on what he says he will do. Proverbs 30 verse 5 declares, every word of God is true. Dear ones, when you tell somebody that you will do something, keep your word. It should be able to depend on what you say you will do. And this very point and neglect of it is the cause and reason for many Christians to never walk in their God-ordained calling. And if you are unable to keep your commitment, call the individual in advance and explain your reason, and if you can, fulfill your commitment at a later date. And the fourth point is, make sure that you do not have even one trace, a hint or thread of manipulation in your life. This is called sin. Manipulation is as witchcraft. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Many people never come right out and ask for something they might like you to do for them or for something that they need. but they will say it as a suggestion or try to set you up in a crafty way to get what it is that they want from you. Surely one cannot expect God to bless if this practice is being used. It is underhanded, deceitful, and detrimental to anyone's spiritual growth, and it will only bring spiritual poverty. The fifth ditch to dig is apply the principles of God's word in your daily conversations. Let your conversations be uplifting and wholesome. Do you have a habit of gossiping, but call it concern? Do you use the excuse to share somebody's fault or sin or weakness with others and say, well, it's a prayer focus? If so, you need to bring that issue into right order and perspective and stop it at once. God hates gossip and slander so much that he even says that this will be one of the reasons that people will not enter into heaven. Are you careful with your words in regards to ensure that you do not cause division with them by twisting something someone has said? There's an old saying that says, sweep your own doorstep first. Self-deception is a horrible sin. Dropping careless words that cause division is as bad as witchcraft. The intent is evil and produces dissension in the body of Christ. And some need to really check their hearts on this one. Sixth point. How are you doing with the issue of spending your time? What kind of ditches are you digging for yourself on this one? Remember, digging the ditches was the means by which God would send his blessing and power into your life. Do you spend your time wisely? Psalms 90 verse 12 declares, Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are. Help us, O Lord, to spend them as we should. Do you make it a practice of taking care of your daily responsibilities? responsibilities, first to your Lord and having daily communion and devotions with him, and secondly to your family and home. I've learned that making good use of my time included self-discipline, and when I worked outside the home, my husband Lee and son Aaron both had responsibilities in helping to keep the house and the yard in good order. We all shared in this labor. This again is one of those primary principles in the natural, that if we can't take care of the little things in our daily living, God will not bless us with the greater things, which include his ministry assignments to further his kingdom. The seventh ditch to dig is to not make excuses. Do not make excuses. And you'll want to be sure to reverse this one if you have any weakness here. Many dear Christians miss out on so many blessings and will not be allowed to walk in God's power because they make excuses for their weaknesses and their shortcomings rather than admit and work on them. The Lord gave my husband Lee a profound dream regarding this very subject. In the dream, the Lord showed an individual who was dancing with others in a far distance outside the outer court. Lee heard the Lord say, unauthorized. Then he heard the Lord say, 96 excuses. The individual could not enter into the inner court of the temple because of all of their excuses. No matter what way you turn the number 96, it is still 96 no matter what way you turn it. How tragic. Many people are in the outer court thinking they're in God's will and are only dancing their way into perdition because all of their flimsy excuses and reasons why they cannot do what they know they ought to do. Making excuses will not account for anything in God's book, dear ones. And this, too, is like shooting yourself in the foot. the eighth ditch to dig in your times of transition is welcome those whom god sends your way to help you be teachable when they appear we were not meant to make these transitions on our own accord but god has always used his people to help us to take that step to the next level samuel the prophet was sent to help assist david and give him the word of the lord that he was to be a king and Samuel also anointed David as Saul's successor. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, was overwhelmed with the news that she would be carrying the Messiah in her womb, Elizabeth released a prophetic blessing over her. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ has many precious members who are gifted and wise counselors and intercessors, even prophets who can speak into your life. There are many encouragers who are there to help you through your time of transition too. Just make sure that those whom you listen to will not tell you just what you want to hear. Choose those who are mature in the Lord and walk in the Spirit. And those who are mature will speak about the real issues in your life to help you transition to the next step. And don't get mad at them for speaking the truth. You only shoot yourself in the foot and will stay right there and will never move on. All of these points are really speaking about letting go of your past. And the Lord told me to give you hope for the future and his promises. I believe these simple points from the heart of God will bring freedom to many of you who have been struggling with poverty in so many areas of your life. spiritual and physical poverty will rob us of the blessings and power of god in our lives precious one as you truly learn to live in christ you are a new creature predestined to be made in our lord jesus christ image likeness and character we sometimes get caught in a spiritual limbo because we've been holding on to the past whether they be memories or habits or relationships, and even those things that seem to give us security and comfort. Can you rest in the peace of knowing that God knows your final end? He has committed himself to leading and guiding you and helping you make every transition you need to make along your Christian way as you live in his son, Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians 1.20 says, the promises are yes and amen in him. He'll be with you, even if you're faced with walking through any valley of the shadow of death. His rotten staff will comfort you. If you follow him and obey him and live in him, he will not leave you at the door of the outer court with your 96 excuses. Fight for your promises. Transition is always a vulnerable time, and it always seems to It requires some kind of spiritual warfare on your behalf. It requires much prayer. It requires faith and believing what God has spoken to you and promised you. The enemy is a thief and he wants to steal your inheritance. I encourage you to wield the promises of God like a two-edged sword. And Satan tries to stand in the doorway to block your coming through into greater levels that God has for you. He tries to thwart and devour your promises. But learn to stand. Take up your God-given rights and advance into your spiritual calling with the help of Holy Spirit. Paul said to Timothy, Son, this command I entrust to you in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight of faith. God gives prophetic promises to literally propel us into our future. Declare them over your life. God's word will break every satanic resistance if you will believe in them and actually live in them. By implementing these points and taking them seriously as from the very heart of God, they will help prepare you spiritually for the days that are coming upon this nation. but also for the transition into your God-ordained office and call to prepare you for the ministry assignments that he has for you to do to impact his kingdom for Christ's sake in these last days. Will you learn to tarry, dear one, as you wait for Jesus? Will you keep your lamp full and trimmed with the extra oil? Your spiritual life depends on it. If you do, you will not fall into the air of apostasy but you will recognize it and flee far from it. God may even use you as a trumpet to sound the alarm and warn others. One of the promises that we are all waiting on is in the last days God says I will pour out my spirit on all people. Let us be praying and interceding for God to pour out his spirit without measure upon this dying world. Harvest is white and the workers are few. Let's make sure that our own hearts are prepared and right before God. So that we too may be privileged to be a worker in this day and hour. This last day pouring out of God's spirit will not be about any man's doctrine. But it will be all about Jesus Christ and his coming in all power and glory with the armies of heaven riding with him. Jesus is coming for his bride. I leave you and I challenge you with this last question. Will you be ready when he comes for you? The warning to us in this message is to be aware of the great air and apostasy that is being set up today and make sure that you know what your Bible says about such matters that are being perpetrated upon the church. if it were possible even the very elect could be deceived the word says and know that because you might hear well-known names involved doesn't mean that they couldn't be wrong and possibly be walking in air stay close to god stay in his word and keep your eyes fixed on jesus christ who is coming very soon Thank you.