“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)”
Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? Well he was the guy everyone laughed at because he thought that one drop of water landing on his head meant that the sky was falling down…But that’s just a story we used to read to our Children, or is it?
In Evangelical Churches throughout the world Christians have been shamed into silence about the dire straits of this present generation. The world has so ridiculed the Born-Again Believer about the Rapture of the Church that they have grown eerily silent about the impending consequences of the date of judgment because of the unbeliever’s sinfulness. For years countless preachers, prophets, and everyday people have been telling anyone who will listen, “the end is coming…” And in their opinion “nothing has happened…” as of yet.
It is amazing how people of the world demonstrate their faith, more so than the self-described Christians. For example, how many people have you seen waiting at a bus stop. They wait expectantly, because the bus schedule says that the number 9 is coming. So, they wait knowing that eventually it will arrive. And they plan their entire day & life around a “bus schedule”. And we as believers have allowed a “bus schedule” to become the reference point of faith in people’s lives, rather than the Word of God. Even a blind man could see that the day and hour in which we live has been foretold to us in far greater detail than any Hemingway novel could ever hope to convey.
The world in which we live is being bombarded by unrest everywhere, coupled with earthquakes and unexplained phenomena. This should be the wakeup call for the Church and our generation, but somehow we are rolling over and hitting the snooze button. I believe within the next few days, months, or even (if the Lord allows) years that this generation will awaken and see this season of the unexpected. I truly pray that God, through His mercy, is orchestrating these events to bring about a hunger for His glory on the earth before the return of His Son Jesus. But where is this sleeping giant, the Church? “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together…(John 4:34-36)”
As Christians living these last days, we need 5 essential attitudes
if we don’t want to be caught by surprise…
Being tuned in
I believe that the voice of God speaks when we least expect it. If we truly are His sheep we will be listening for His voice, and a stranger we will not chase after. This is where our expectant faith must begin, listening… “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.(Romans 10:17)”
Be vigilant
We have to respond to the storms of this life with faith and not unbelief. It is when we least expect them, that they come trying to steal our joy and peace. When these times come (and they will) we must remember the words of the Apostle Peter, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world…(I Peter 5:7-9)”
Be prepared
Despite what the world and Hollywood would have you believe, The Master is coming and will require an account of our lives when we least expect it, “…when He comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping…(Mark 13:36)”
Be ready
There’ll be things happening when and where you least expect them to occur. We must be aware, willing, ready and available for God to use whenever and however He chooses…
Be expectant
Encounters with God will happen when we least expect them “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting…(Acts 2:2)” When we begin to daily walk in expectancy this is when God can move in our everyday lives to change the world. The Lord is doing a new thing on the earth, and it takes a prophetic generation to step into the move of the Spirit of God, let’s not just hear about it but be part of it!!!