For the first time in our ten-year marriage, Keith got hit with a terrible case of writer's block. He called it his "worst case, ever", likening the symptoms to those of a concussion. In his 15+ years of playing football, racing hydroplane boats, competitive water-skiing, dirt-bike racing, and a couple more collision-type sports, Keith knows all too well how a concussion injury affects your sensory functions and every-day abilities, often for weeks or months.
A sudden event happened after about 11 days into Keith's writer's block experience! Keith came into my office to tell me about a wonder-full time of prayer. The Holy Spirit had illuminated a passage of Scripture that he hadn't given much thought to over the years. He told me he was about to close himself in his office so he could begin writing down what The Lord said about it. The passage was the one in Matthew 24:22 where Jesus said, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."
When he read the verse, he said that a sense of clarity came over him and his writer's block fell away. Immediately, he sat down and started typing out what he had been shown in the spiritual realm. This blog message is what he wrote. We're excited to share this timely word of the prophecy of Christ Jesus that answers for us "IS GOD ACCELERATING TIME?" --Brenda
Have you ever heard the funny little adage, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes?" Some of our older friends might call that adage "profound" (in jest). However, are you aware that Jesus Christ actually prophesied about the days being shortened the closer we get to "the end", the time of His return? Matthew described just how Jesus said it in Matthew 24:22, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." We believe that we are currently experiencing these "days...shortened" and actually have been for some time now.
So, why would Jesus say, "And except those days should be shortened..."? As I asked the Holy Spirit that question, and waited on Him, He brought my attention to the clear evidence of the rapid increase of wickedness in the land. Then, He brought to my spiritual awareness another interpretation for "days... shortened", as "time being accelerated". He showed me how, as the wickedness in the earth is rapidly increasing, God has been simultaneously making the days shorter, hence making time speed up, all for the sake of drawing our attention to the urgency of searching the condition of our souls. Because the return of Jesus Christ is fast-approaching, God desires for all who are spiritually asleep to awaken, choose to repent, and come to Him whole-heartedly. Those who do, He will receive them, will fill their hearts with His Love for His people, and, in turn, will fill them with His passion to reach out and boldly tell all who are lost that their Father in Heaven is calling.
Next, The Holy Spirit privileged me to see three primary objectives for God's shortening the days. Objective number one is a door of opportunity for those who have never received Jesus Christ to repent and to be saved. Objective number two is providing a door of repentance to those who had asked Jesus Christ into their heart and, for whatever reason, have fallen into compromise and a state of lukewarm-ness. And objective number three is God providing an affirmation of His Love, in a tangible way, to those who have whole-heartedly given their heart and life to Christ... those He calls "the elect." Not only are the days...shortened to confirm that Jesus Christ is soon to come, but it is God limiting the time and intensity of wickedness to which His elect will be exposed in the land. "And The Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My People...and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; (Exodus 3:7)." This also means God is presenting a historic end-times harvest opportunity to those who wholly want and love Jesus Christ and passionately pursue oneness IN Him daily, perhaps to bring a harvest we've never experienced before.
Now is the time that we focus our spiritual eyes and ears intently on Christ Jesus, and call on The Holy Spirit asking Him to rendezvous with us in the pages of God's written Word. Now is the time for us to throw off spiritual slumber, throw off the cares of this world, pray without ceasing, rebuke intimidating spirits, and go into the Lord's harvest girded with His Authority.
If we are going to take advantage of this historic opportunity for which God has intricately placed us on this earth, at this exact time, we have to understand the authority of Jesus Christ. Just before sending His Disciples out into the mission fields in teams of two, He told them, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:7-8)." What were His Disciples so freely given for the purpose of giving to others? It was the great news of Jesus Christ and all that comes with receiving Him and His Word into their hearts. And, to confirm to the people that Jesus Christ's Disciples were preaching the Truth about Jesus Christ being the Son of God, Christ equipped them with His Authority to, "... Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils... " giving away all the things that Jesus Christ freely and so richly gave to them, and to us as well.
If we are going to win those who do not know Christ Jesus in these final hours, if we are going to lead people into oneness in Jesus Christ, we have to remember that we cannot depend solely on our natural gifts, talents, abilities, human charisma, or being able to intellectually wield the Scriptures. We must fully depend on Jesus Christ's Spirit, in His Authority, to lead people into oneness in Him. The Scripture tells us that those who look for Him will find Him. Those who love Jesus Christ with our whole heart, and pursue becoming one in Him, by the tutelage of The Holy Spirit, are those to whom He will give His Authority. "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33)." Most importantly among "all these things" is Jesus Christ's Authority. And only by Jesus Christ's Authority will we be able to go and, "... Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:... (Matthew 10:8b)" just as His Disciples of old.
Speaking of being whole-heartedly dependent on God and His Authority, perhaps one of the very best examples in all The Bible is the account of the young shepherd-boy David who slayed the Philistine giant Goliath using a sling and a stone. The Scriptures tell us that David was a mighty man of God and a man after God's Own Heart. David wanted and pursued God with his whole heart and had become well-known for his boldness and proficiency at wielding a slingshot. Interestingly, even as a young shepherd boy, David knew he could not rely on his abilities and strength without God and God's Authority in the fight with him, "And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose (shouting threats and insults), and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone,... ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled (1 Samuel 17:48-51)."
Notice the fact that, when David went up against the Philistine army's "champion", he hasted, and ran full-on toward the giant. He knew without a doubt, that God was with Him. He knew God and, therefore, refused to have fear or be intimidated. In fact, He was so confident in God that he even refused an offer to use the finest weapons and armor of the king. He knew that it was not going to be by human means that the giant would be defeated, but it would be by God's might. This we also see confirmed in Zechariah 4:6, "Then He answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the Word of The LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."
Knowing how David did not allow anything or anyone to stop him from fulfilling his mission triumphantly, we have to recognize a crucial aspect that I have never personally heard anyone mention. Put yourself in David's sandals and imagine what he was seeing that day. It wasn't like Goliath was standing out there in front of David all alone. The giant was backed by the entire Philistine army. Imagine the sound of the enormously intimidating force as every one of them hurled curses and insults at David. It had to be all but deafening. So when David took off running at a full sprint toward all that was approaching him, he had to know he would have to defeat both Goliath AND the entire Philistine army. I believe that, what it took for David to run into the face of the giant AND the army is what our college football coaches would call "playing with total abandon." Also, just as David's bold haste had won the favor of God, the football players who played with total abandon always won the favor of the coaches who repeatedly reminded us that "playing with total abandon wins games!" It seems to me that David took Goliath out and God handled running the army away. That's teamwork.
Now is our time to GO, just as David did, in Jesus Christ's Authority. We will also be able to "defeat the giants" that come in the form of wicked spirits of slumber and apathy that come to separate God's people from Him. Let's all join and pray together for fellow-believers, for those who have never asked Jesus Christ into their heart, and for those who at one time asked Jesus Christ into their heart and, for whatever reason, have fallen into a state of lukewarm-ness, that they all will be delivered. Then is when we all will be able to take advantage of this time of our Father shortening the days. This is an exciting time for us to go into all the world ...preaching and proclaiming that The kingdom of Heaven is at hand... healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and casting out devils. Freely we have all been given, and now is the time for us to GO by Christ's Authority and... freely give.
We'd like to end with the thought many of us have heard over the years, "We may very well be the last opportunity for those whose paths we cross to come to Jesus Christ." We must be wise and lead those who are lost and bound to become searched-out and found, so all can go with us home to our Father, following this final hour's harvest of souls. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise (Proverb 11:30)."
Thank you for taking time to hear our hearts, and thank you for your love, friendship, encouragement, and timely help you have given to make what we do possible! As we ask our Father every day, may He bless you 100-times over for the support you have given toward sending us into Jesus Christ's harvest of souls in these final hours.
In love and appreciation, your co-laborer IN Christ Jesus,
For these final days leading up to the anticipated return of Christ Jesus, no matter what... KEEP PRESSIN'IN!
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This blog post, along with each of our original podcasts, music and video recordings, books, magazines, and other resources in our ministry collection, is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Family of Sponsorship Partners. If you would like to become a part of the TTM Family, your monthly financial support of any amount will help toward fulfilling God's call on our lives to make Holy-Bible-based messages available to the churched and un-churched individuals alike. You are invited to partner with us in working with God to fulfill His desire for everybody to know Christ Jesus as He IS... The Way, The Truth, and The Life... personally. We will remain steadfast to "... press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14)." Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will help toward providing effective, practical outreach tools for ministering the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ.
Help fan the flame in the hearts of those who are looking to increase in their faith, courage, and strength through Christ Jesus! Give your tax-deductible gift today and help make more messages and resources like this possible! Become a part of The Family of Toward The Mark, Inc. Sponsors.
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Our sincerest hope is that you are encouraged as you take in this blog. We'd like to invite you to take advantage of even more messages of encouragement, for you and your friends and family members, specially available now in one of our most-requested Toward The Mark books entitled, "Letters From The Front." We want to personally invite you to get your personal copy today.
Sin Makes Ya Stewpit
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The Cart's Before The Horse;
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The Crisis of Eroding Integrity
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The Fruit's at the End of the Limb
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Too Quick to Compromise
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The Rarest of All Breeds
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Please...Stop Stinkin'
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3 Keys to God-Pleasing Faith
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Let It Go!
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Understanding the Fear of The Lord
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Into The Secret Place
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Give to Give!
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This collection of twelve teachings, when taken to heart, will help you emerge triumphant over seemingly impossible situations... "LETTERS From The FRONT" available at TowardTheMark online.
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