Worship

“Ready or Not” by Hillsong UNITED

Scripture

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—

‘so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”’ -Luke 17:26-37 (ESV)

Living with Eternal Perspective

I have walked with Jesus for 41 years, and I have never been so swept over by Him speaking a theme so deeply in my spirit. He has never turned my heart and attention to His return like He has done this past year. I am wide-eyed with expectation. Our Father doesn’t withhold His heart and plans. He desires us to be prepared, alert, and ready, with our lamps filled with oil. The Holy Spirit is the Great Revealer of mysteries and hidden things—our Great Counselor. And right now He is bringing forth hidden things with accelerated revelation and understanding.

Can you imagine what that day will be like for the one who remains? Those of us who know Jesus will be taken with Him, but according to this passage, there will be those who have been in intimate relationship with us who will not know where we have gone. They will search and search, and I believe there will be many grieving and distraught people left hopeless and in despair.

The Gift of Present Time for Kingdom Purpose

But that day has not come yet! Although we live in the ellipsis of the last words of Jesus in Revelation 22:20 (“‘Yes, I am coming soon.’”), He has still given us TIME. It’s our greatest weapon. Time is our greatest tool and gift right now! (That’s why busyness is the greatest tool of the enemy!) The Lord has given us a time of divine RESET right now in this season, to get on His Kingdom agenda and to return to Him. But we must heed these passages of Scripture with urgency and sobriety! Jesus is returning for His Bride. But His great love for the world keeps Him from coming because He doesn’t want anyone to miss this.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” -Matthew 24:14 (ESV)

I was sitting with the Lord one morning last spring and penned these words the Holy Spirit echoed in my heart:

I Am drawing a line in the sand, and it will become more and more clear—those who are with Me and those who are against Me. I will reveal the inner parts of each person’s heart, and the defining line will become even more clear. You will see those bent on My agenda and those bent on their own agenda. I have desired to use this time of RESET not to start over and do the same things as before, but to begin in a new way—the old ways gone. RESET for a different road, a different trajectory, the right path of righteousness. Many will change habits, activities, pursuits, desires. Some will go their own way, back to what they originally desired and pursued because that was a comfort to them. They are unable to leave the world behind for the new thing. You will see some who never knew Me (although they thought they had). I must awaken them to truth in this hour. There will be a great repentance. People will long for Me because I will make it clearly evident that I Am the only one who satisfies. If people will allow Me, I will even change the things their hearts crave. When I say I Am doing a new thing, you better believe it is true. I Am making new pathways in the desert. I Am opening new doors of expedition and exploration into who I Am. I Am opening wide the door of invitation across the Earth and revealing My love in the most tangible ways. It will not be hard to find Me. I Am making Myself known among the nations in rapid acceleration.

Then Holy Spirit took me to Habakkuk 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

I Am covering the Earth with My presence—to know that I Am God. I will be exalted in the nations! I will be exalted in this nation. For those who oppose Me or oppose My righteousness, I will oppose. I will eliminate their influence and take away their authority. They will be like Nebuchadnezzar, who was reduced to nothing. The wicked will be pushed back in this hour so that righteousness may cover the Earth and all men’s deeds will be seen for what they are. I Am releasing a fear of the Lord that will leave those whose hearts are for Me, in awe and wonder. The wicked will be silenced. Truth will prevail and be unearthed. People will see evil for what it truly is.

Beloved, I share that with you because there is a weightiness in my heart that I implore you to live for that day! Live for the day when you will be united with your glorious Bridegroom. Throw off everything that entangles you, and RUN with passion to the one Lover of your soul! Live with your passions and affections not for the world but for Him. Live so that your life would proclaim like Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ … (Philippians 1:21).” Take hold of the urgency the Holy Spirit will give you if you just ask Him for it.

G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “I never lay my head on the pillow without thinking that perhaps before I awake, the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without thinking that He may interrupt it to begin His own. And every night before we go to sleep, we ought to say, ‘He may come tonight.’ Every day when we get out our tools and go to work, ‘This may be the last day’s work I’ll do.’”

A Prayer for Spiritual Readiness

Let me pray for you today as I often do.

Holy Spirit, speak to the deepest recesses of the women reading this today. Jesus, speak with a resounding invitation to come to You. Lay everything our hearts desire before You, to trade them with Your desires. Sanctify us through and through to carry the fire of Heaven deep in our bones like Jeremiah wrote about—a fire he could not contain. Let us be marked by passion, zeal, and urgency. And I pray that You would anoint my sisters to live for “that day,” the coming of Jesus for His Bride. Lord, enable us to speak Your Word with boldness and courage, that none we love would live eternity apart from You. And Father, pour out Your love on the women reading this right now. Let it crash over them and leave them undone. Awaken and refresh them, in Jesus’ name!

Let me leave you with this quote:

“You stand before the greatest door in history. Beyond this door lie the most precious gifts of God. Beyond this door you will find the keys, the secrets of heroes of the faith who have gone before you. They shook their generations, they shut the mouths of lions, and they established justice and they stood, at one time, where you now stand.” -Mario Murillo, “Reaching Critical Mass”

A Few Key Notes

• On January 28, I will be casting a vision for 70 cities. Join me at 7:30 p.m. CST over Zoom to hear how you can help Arise expand. RSVP by emailing me at [email protected].
• Patrice Vines will be hosting another Arise study in February about putting on the armor of God and standing our ground during turbulent times. You can join in-person or over Zoom. RSVP by emailing me at [email protected].

Time: 9:30 a.m. CST

Dates: Friday mornings beginning February 12

Location: Over Zoom or at The Hope Center (2001 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75075)

• Gather with other women in the Arise network over Zoom for a weekly prayer time this month.

2:30-3 p.m. CST every Thursday

Zoom ID: 897 429 7573

• A new five-week Arise study has begun! Christina McCracken is teaching from her new book “Live for That Day: Garnering Rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ.” Join us at 7 p.m. CST every Tuesday over Zoom. You can purchase her book on Amazon.
• Mark your calendars for Harvest Day in Waco on Saturday, March 27. We will be joining other women in Waco, Texas for a day of going out to pray for people and share the gospel. Training will be available. If interested, email me at [email protected].