Wake Up! Look Up!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 9:50AM 
Happy Wednesday, Friends! Susie Larson here...
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. I’d love to hear from you! So leave a post, share an insight, and bless lots of folks.
Now on to my topic...
Anne Graham Lotz was my guest on a recent show. Anne is a voice crying in the wilderness, calling God's people to wake up and to prepare a way for the Lord. She is convinced that her generation is the one that immediately precedes the return of Jesus Christ. And this isn't just a 'feeling' or a hope-so kind of thing. Anne studies prophecy, watches the social, spiritual, and economic climates, and she makes a compelling case that it's time for God's people to wake up and look up!
Jesus said that the coming of the Son of Man will be like in the days of Noah. People will be eating, drinking, and partying right up to the end, with no sense of their impending doom. Anne writes, "There's something drastically wrong with a culture that goes about everyday activities oblivious to God...In a similar way, our generation seems to have no fear of God or awareness of our accountability to Him."
She further writes (speaking to the state of our nation), "God's past blessings do not mean that He will keep you safe at present or in the future. Your hope is not in the local or state or federal government. Your hope is in the Lord alone. With all of your know-how and your go-to-it innovative, creative ideas, you cannot predict your future or secure your future. God holds your future, and you need to get right with Him."
These are sobering times, and we need to be awake and alert to what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to the Church. Are we weak, though we say we are strong? Are we lukewarm though we pretend not to be? Or do we daily fan the flame of our first love devotion to the One and Only Savior of the world?
We cannot keep ourselves, we are kept by a living, loving God, who patiently wills that all would voluntarily come to Him by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. But the clock is ticking, prophetic world events are piling one on top of the other. God is who He says He is and He'll do what He said He'll do. But oh, how He loves His own!
Are you running a mile wide and an inch deep? Are you more focused on a trivial task list than the coming of our King? I know I am sometimes. Yet, we live in unprecedented times. If we--as God's saved and beloved ones--don't live focused, passionate, and purposefully, who will?
Will we be found ready? Or will we be distracted, unprepared, with a lamp half full of oil?
Just how do we live with a constant state of reverent readiness?
The answer is right here in Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let's run with patient endurance, the race set before us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who, for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Let us consider Him who endured such scorn from sinful men that we might not grow weary, and lose heart.
Remember, we're not kept by perfection or performance, we're kept by faith in Christ alone.
Never have we been closer to the return of Christ as we are now. It's quite possible we or our children may see Christ return for His bride. Do you find yourself swallowed up urgency of your over-committed schedule rather than stirred by the urgency of the times? I do too at times. Lord, awaken us to Your highest and best purposes for our lives so that when You return, you find us full of faith, expectant of Your soon return.
May we live faith-filled, focused lives, tossing aside the trivial, embracing the substance of Scripture. May we reach out to those who are partying and shopping and living as though they have all the time in the world.
I'll leave you with this passage from Jude 1:23-25
Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
~Until next week
Reader Comments (5)
My heart is heavy this week for this.
I heard the interview, bought and read the book.
The Lord led our pastor to do a series on His return. One of his messages was on the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD (horrifying!) I also listened to five-sermon message on Revelation by Eagle Brook Church...(which was encouraging for believers)
This morning I read through the book of Lamentations. "Let your tears flow like a river day and night, give yourselves no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children who faint from hunger at the head of every street (2:18-19)..."
The reality of God's wrath is overwhelming, and I am struggling for joy today. I am praying this burden will produce fire in my Spirit to move forward in His strength and power to do His will. Give me HOLY BOLDNESS Lord! Give me a willing heart to live,suffer if need be, according to your will...Oh my children and grandchildren...keep them Lord! Thank you that no one can snatch them from your hand!
Transcript of Sunday's sermon:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/east-lincoln-alliance-church/characteristics-of-christs-return/10151209330092275
And God had me in Hebrews 12 this week also:
http://www.blessedbuilder.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-crossa-merging-of-sorrow-and-joy.html
Many years ago Mr. T. did an indepth study of The Revelation for our bible study class. I hope others still have their print out and refresh their memories. We agreed it won't be long before Jesus' return. A day is as a thousand years. Thank you for your insight.
Susie,
I am totally convinced too that these are indeed the last days of planet earth. The signs are everywhere. When I hear of earth quakes and sunamis yes, I feel for the people affected but I rejoice beause to me it is another birth pain on the way to His appearing. This world is so blatantly antichrisitan our nation is turning and snubbing it's nose to the One who has blessed us so richly for generations. These catastrophes we are experiencing for the last while make me wonder if the God of creation is indeed asking us to wake up and look up for our redemption is at hand. I feel a sense of urgency and boldness in my witness of how Christ is and has worked in my life. we do not know how long He will tary but I am thankful that He has not allowed me to fall in love with the things of this world which will pass away very quickly. Yes, summer is a time a person can become lax and a bit lazy even in Bible study. I have sensed this somewhat as I wait to get into a fall Bible study. I pray daily too that I won't grow weary in waiting or become lazy in my walk with Him. It can be a temptation as the warm days make us feel lazy and complacent. Thank you Susie, I love your blogs even though I do not visit every week. Love, Betty
Wow! Thanks for this! Your words have given me clarity on one of those trivial tasks that was on my to-do list. I feel I can let go of it right now so I will have more time and energy for the real stuff that God is calling me to do! Thanks!
May we live, not so much looking out for a day that might or might not come tomorrow....but rather proclaiming today the Kingdom that has already arrived and the Lord that sits on the throne. May we live as citizens of His Kingdom, so that whenever God brings His work to completion - we welcome and celebrate it's arrival - having built who we are on it's foundations and Life!! :) Great reminders! :)