1) A Redlist
We are told to pray for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done in the earth as it is in heaven. I don’t believe Jesus was expecting us to pray some generic chant as a result of his teaching on prayer in the sermon on the mount. Each of you has a circle of influence in this earth. We should be praying more specifically for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done within our individual range of vision. Sure it’s good to pray for the world as a whole, and the leaders of nations, etc. Scripture instructs us to do so. The very same passage of scripture regarding prayer says that God is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
You should have a prayer list of people that you pray for daily. I am talking about people in the world that do not know Jesus. Also on my list are those believers who are living in the dark. My prayer is that God would open their eyes and shake them awake.
Over the last thirty years in my Christian walk, I have met many people who do not know Jesus or have not embraced his way to salvation. My current list includes a lot of people I know both presently and throughout the past thirty years. My prayer for them is this: God, give them more time. Protect their lives until they’ve had the opportunity to see and accept or reject Jesus. Draw them to you with your Holy Spirit and convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Send laborers across their path. If there is anything I can do or say, please let me know. Heal them and soften their hearts.
Always have an ongoing list. Add to it the new people that you meet. Pray for them daily. As people convert and grow strong, then you can place them on another list for different prayers that are more targeted to the needs of the Christian. But always maintain this prayer list for the lost people that you know.
I call my list of lost friends my 'redlist'. This means the condition of their souls is a high priority to me. It gives me a sense of urgency and helps me to think of the gravity of the situation, if they were to slip off into eternity without experiencing God's free salvation.
2) A Winch with a Big Hook
Speaking from my personal experience, I find it impossible to live this life of faith and pleasing God without having your mind, imagination, and heart fully wrapped around the truths concerning the rapture, immortality, the redemption of our bodies, the upcoming big feast and awards ceremony in Heaven, our place in the next millennium, and the urgency of responsibility in this current hour. It is imperative that you understand these things and believe in their reality. If you do that, your problems with sin and the struggle of the flesh will vanish. I am speaking this from my own experience. Either these things are real, or we are crazy. If they are real then you should live as such.
We should crave enlightenment instead of just trying to get victory over our fleshly impulses. This is the only way to be purified, made holy, and become more like Jesus. He said if you continue in my word then you will be my disciples. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Here are some scriptures that display how our behavior changes as a result of enlightenment:
'See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. '
1 John 3:1-3
'All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. '
Hebrews 11:13-16
Do you want your Christian walk to be easier? Do you want to breakthrough the constant struggle to control your flesh? It is a simple process if you do this – Get a solid understanding and vision of what Heaven is like. Get a clear picture of what will happen in the new millennium and make this a reality to you. You should understand fully about the glorified body which we are about to receive.
We are told to comfort one another with these words.
'Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.'
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Here we are told to SET our hearts and minds on heavenly things.
'Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. '
Colossians 3:1-4
Jesus told us exactly how to do Colossians 3:1-2. He said where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You need to have your treasure in Heaven, literally. There is going to be an awards ceremony that you don’t want to miss. How cool will it be to get rewarded for multiple things on that day? Good times ahead!
These things need to be real to you. Just as real as the next vacation you are planning. Actually these things should be more important than your next vacation. The door is hinging open. Can’t you see it? That is where we are at in time. A new age is about to begin, but this one has to close first.
'For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.'
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Did you catch that? FIX our eyes – this is an action. This is something we intentionally do. Quit waiting for something to happen or change. Don’t wait any longer.
I hear some saying, “Yeah brother, but you have to live a normal life and not be so spiritual and heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” I disagree.
We have multiple passages of scripture telling us precisely what our minds should be fixed on and how we are to think. Your struggle is in trying to serve two masters, and we know that is impossible. This is not fairy tale stuff, and it is not something you should feel shamed for believing or announcing. These are events that are about to happen in our very near future. Emphasis on very near.
'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 us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before
him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so
that you will not grow weary and lose heart. '
Hebrews 12:1-3
So the winch is planted and immovable. The winch represents our treasure, rewards, and mansion in heaven. On a winch, the hook and the line are fastened to pull the object desired until it reaches the base of the motorized winch. Your heart is the object in this illustration. Hook your heart to the heavenly things awaiting, and these shall pull you closer to him with everyday approaching.
3) An Open View of the Shot Clock
You have to know what time it is! In basketball, once the ball travels onto the other teams side of the court, the shot clock begins a countdown of seconds. Much like that, I believe we have crossed a line to where the shot clock of this present age has begun to tick. I would even say that we are in the last few seconds of this age. Let us make one final huge clutch-moment shot and bring a bunch of people with us as we cross the finish line.
You have to know the hour and the urgency of the times in order for you to be fruitful in these last days. Anyone who is not aware of this will experience regret when they say “Oh why didn’t I see it? Why did I just go about life as if it was the time to maintain and settle here?” You don’t want to be saying that in the near future. I think of Schindler’s list – go watch the movie.
If I have such an awareness of the hour in which we live, shouldn’t that be enough to motivate a change in lull behavior and cause me to become active in the advancement of God’s will and plan on the earth? This is the real deal. We are living in this time right now! How exciting is that! Blessed are the eyes that see what we see!
'And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.'
Romans 13:11-14
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