A couple of weeks ago there were severe warnings for a hurricane in my area. When I looked outside however, it was so sunny no one would ever expect a hurricane was coming at all! Only a person tuned in to the weather forecast would know what to expect and be prepared for it.
This made me think about how it is in the spiritual realm. You see, Christians who are not tuned in to God’s presence are unaware of the spiritual “forecast”. They aren’t aware of what is about to happen, and when Christ returns they will not be prepared to meet Him. Christians who have been in the presence of God by praying, fasting and reading their Bibles are being prompted by The Holy Spirit to prepare for Christ’s return. They feel the urgency to not only prepare themselves but to warn others to do so as well.
Brothers and sisters, we are living in the last days before Jesus’ return. Many of the signs Jesus prophesied would happen before His return are now coming to pass. What this means for you and I is that we need to strive to be serious in our relationship with Christ more than ever before, spending time with Him and obeying His Word. Whichever things God has been convicting us to change, we need to do it. Through prayer and fasting, Jesus can help us to get to where we need to be in our spiritual lives.
Matthew 24:3-8 NIV
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
(To learn more about Christ’s return, please read the full chapter 24 of Mathew)
