Pastor's Thoughts............

Watch, Pray and Be Prepared!!!

This year of 2023 the Lord has spoken this command to us: Watch, Pray and Be Prepared.  Watch, Pray and Be Prepared.  I did not hear any rhyming words or catchy phrases, I heard these words of action and command, Watch, Pray and Be Prepared.  I cannot emphasize the absolute necessity of prayer in the life of a believer.  It is the gift we have been given to communicate with the Creator of heaven and earth.  The vehicle we have been gifted by which we can enter into a place of unspeakable wisdom, direction, peace and love.  But yet we fail to exercise this great access and often relegate prayer as our last resort.  Have you ever heard someone say, well all I can do now is pray.  How sad it is that prayer, this mighty weapon is so watered down among those who have been given access and so we are weak and tired and uncertain.  That is why the Lord said watch.  Watch, be alert, be on guard to all that is going on in the world around you.  Don't simply watch the evening news shaking your heads in despair and hopelessness.  Watch, stand on guard and get on the wall of intercession and pray.  Speak life into those situations that you will never encounter in the person but you can rattle and confound in the spirit.  Speak life into those people you will never meet but you can set the heavens into motion with your prayers of intercession if you just believe that the Lord hears and answers your prayers.  Watch.  Watch for all the markings of the end-days that we were warned about by Jesus, they are here and the end is near.  But near could be another 100 years, so just keep praying.  Then Be Prepared.  Prepared for what?  Prepared to do all the things I have mentioned already and more.  Speak life, speak hope, trust, have faith, believe, declare victory and hope, speak peace and power.  Be prepared to stand in the gap for those who don't yet know the Savior or even know that they need a Savior, stand in the gap in prayer.  Pray without ceasing that bodies will be healed, the captive will be set free, the lame will walk, the dumb will talk, families will rise out of poverty, children will not go hungry, PRAY and Be Prepared when they come looking for Jesus.  What will we do as the church when those who hear the good news of Jesus come to our places of worship looking for Him?  Will they find Jesus or will they find our judgement?  Will they find Jesus and His joy or will they find insensitivity and church tradition?  Beloved we have to watch, pray and be prepared because there is a noise that is happening in the land and it is the sound of hope drowning out hopelessness.  The sound of the angels crying holy, holy holy is the Lamb who was and is and is to come.  And the ears of the unsaved are listening and they are coming to find this Jesus.  Be prepared, be prepared to give them Jesus, to show them Jesus, to let them hear Jesus and experience Jesus.  But that means we need to be sure He is leading US first, or else they will get more of us than HIM.  

This new year has already presented itself with more challenges and more reasons to doubt that there is a Savior who cares about this world.  But we know the founder of those lies and he is already a defeated foe, but he is a persistent foe so be prepared.  Be prepared to snatch back the hearts and minds of a generation that has never known the kind of love that is offered from the Father, pure, real and genuine.  Let's make sure as the ambassadors of the Kingdom of God that we have been in the Lord's presence enough that it is HIS aroma they smell, HIS touch when we embrace and HIS WORDS that being freedom.  We can't do anything without His power and His anointing, so get back on the wall.  In this year we have heard clearly the call, Watch, Pray and Be Prepared.  Will you listen and be found ready?  He is watching His beloved and He is coming for what He placed in us to heal, deliver and set free those who are bound and lost.  There is no time to waste so let this new year be the year of action, movement and victory, in Jesus name.  Amen, amen and amen.

Grace and peace, Pastor G