THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

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Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rains came down, the streams rose, and the storm winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

There is a global storm brewing that many have not yet perceived and therefore have not prepared for. Only those who have built their lives on the rock of Christ will be able to stand through it. We are in a unique moment in history which can be described as the “calm before the storm”. Many realize that we do not live in a normal time and that the world is poised for dramatic change. If we have eyes to see beyond the natural it will be clear that significant change is on the horizon, on the level of the pandemic. Despite this, many will not heed the warnings to prepare and take the necessary steps to ensure their faith is not shipwrecked through it all.

If we cast our minds back to the pandemic, it was clear that the majority of people, including believers were not adequately prepared. Many churches, ministries and believers were caught so unaware that they are no longer standing today. It tested the very foundation of our lives, churches and ministries. Few were proven to have been truly built on the rock of Christ. Instead many had no real substance to their faith and others had built all of their lives upon a denomination. This resulted in many finding that their faith failed as they were left for months with just them and lots of time with no way to navigate their faith or walk with God. Their faith had never been adequately built to survive outside of a denomination or stand through a storm like we experienced.

This time round, those who did not learn the lesson the first time, will not survive the coming storms. Wooden houses built on sand can only stand so much adverse weather before they collapse. So those who missed God’s warnings over past few years will have missed their window of grace as we see in verse 27 “The rain and storms came and the wind blew against the house and great was the fall thereof.”

There is also a stern warning in Proverbs 29:1 “He who hardens his heart after being often corrected, will soon be cut off and with no remedy or way back.” For some the continual refusal to heed the warnings and signs from the Lord, will lead to irreversible losses. A deep and stern warning was revealed by the Lord for our time which is: “You are entering a time when following the leading of the Holy Spirit will no longer be optional. It will become essential and many will suffer losses because they refused to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.”

The Apostle Paul when he was a prisoner and due to sail to Rome, foresaw a coming storm and tried to warn people. He had the foresight about the dangers of a coming storm and attempted to warn those on the Ship, however, they would not listen.

Acts 27: 10-14 – “Paul said; Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, caused a storm and struck down from the land.”

For a brief moment the people on the ship even thought their decision was right as it says in verse 13, but look how quickly the situation changed. This is how quickly the world around us and indeed our personal lives can change and suddenly a storm is in front of us. Which is why this is a time to prepare like never before. The preparation should all be centered around building our faith and walk with God to an even stronger place, so that nothing can shake us. Dependency on man, a church or our own abilities is always a trap and a false security. Christ alone is our sure foundation in times of challenge.

What Type of Storm Is Coming?

Haggai 2:6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.” The coming storm is a culmination of all things, spiritual, financial, physical. It will affect all parts of life and nations. It is a clashing of kingdoms. It is the maturity of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:30 “Let both grow together until the End Time harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers the angels, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Many can see already the various agendas that are being pushed upon the world and this will only continue till all End Time scripture is fulfilled. As the Tares must be allowed to be revealed with all their demonic anti-God agenda’s and then judged by God. All of this will further shake the church and the true church (the Wheat) will finally arise from the midst of it. However, we can be encouraged as scripture clearly tells us that there will be a global outpouring, harvest and the manifestation of the sons of God that will lead to the church rising in power. So we all have a part to play if we want to be part of God’s plan for our time.

How Should We Prepare?

There are some important steps we can take that will ensure we build our lives on the Rock and have tangible support in place to stand through what is coming, including;

• Deepen your relationship with the Lord. Psalm 105:4 “Seek the Lord and His strength, seek the Lord continually.” This is the priority for every believer. We should all be seeking to draw closer to Jesus and strengthen our faith as this is how we build our lives on the Rock. In a practical sense we should be increasing the time we spend with the Lord in prayer, the word, fasting and waiting on Him. If we are too busy to give the Lord a few minutes every day, it means our lives are out of balance and we need to change our daily schedules. Deepening your walk with the Lord is what will keep you strong no matter what storms may come. It will also give you the capacity to help others overcome challenges and indeed help bring in the imminent harvest of souls who will soon be rushing to the church due to the chaos of the world.
• Connect with a Fellowship. Hebrews 10:25 “Do not neglect meeting together with believers [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.” This can be online or offline. Trying to be a lone ranger and isolated as a believer is not only unbiblical, it is highly unwise in the time we are in. Only those who consider themselves as strong as the early disciples and some of the heroes of the faith, should consider themselves strong enough to stand alone in the days ahead. Which effectively rules out every believer and therefore we should all be seeking a like-minded fellowship to join.
• Seek the Lord for your purpose. Jesus said “Be occupied with what I have called you to do till I come” – Luke 19:13. Do you know your purpose and what God has called you to be occupied with? Many believers are desperate to escape the world – when they do not even know why they are here in the first place. If there was ever a time to be clear about your purpose and calling, its now. A believers job is not necessarily their calling or purpose in life. Seek the Lord until you get clarity. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time, by being out of God’s divine timing and positioning will be an issue of life and death for some in the season ahead. So being at the center of God’s will, becomes the most important thing and should be sought. If you have any doubt over your purpose and calling, your priority should be seeking the Lord for His will.
• Find a core group of believers to connect with. Acts 4:23 “Having been released from prison, Peter and John went back to their own people.” Peter and John after a testing time had a core group of people called “their own people” that they could return to for support. This vital relational group of people will normally go beyond your church or fellowship, but for some may be a small house church group. It is vital to have a small group of people, may even be as little as 3-4 people you can trust, pray with, meet with and support you in difficult times. Like-minded friends who can be there for you through thick and thin. This small group may become your most important support system in the days ahead.

These are some keys steps we can take to be prepared for the coming storms. The Lord is in control and His plans will be fulfilled. So it is our choice to align our lives so that we are a part of it. Did you adequately pass the test of the pandemic storm? Or were you and your faith shaken to the core and you only just managed to hold on… The world and the church is about to be shaken again – this time around are you fully prepared for the certain global storms – by having your life built on the Rock of Christ? May your life be anchored in Him and fully prepared to shine in the midst of the coming darkness Isaiah 60 foretold.

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