This morning, I was reflecting on the events in Oklahoma during the last few days and praying for all those who have lost so much from the storms. I am a survivor of a tornado which destroyed most of the town in which I lived. This town was only a short distance from Moore, Oklahoma. A very large tornado suddenly dropped on us just after the weatherman said we were in the clear. It was over ½ mile wide and stayed on the ground for a long time. As it moved through town, it broke into 3-4 smaller tornados several times and then came back together to cut a very wide path. I lived in a section between where the smaller tornados moved through. There was much destruction on both sides of our little island of protected homes. I am telling you this because I was thinking about end times as I went before the Lord this morning. I was considering how suddenly things can shift. Storms can come quickly and destructively even if the world says we are in the clear.
As I went before the Lord, I was suddenly caught up in an open vision of what seemed to be an open road into the storm torn areas of my new area. I was travelling on the road as many large trucks filled with building materials and critical supplies were traveling at a high rate of speed. The road seemed familiar but it looked very different this morning. Instead of being made of asphalt, it was made of a bright light which was dazzling to watch as it seemed to move and shimmer with the Spirit of life. Then I heard the Holy Spirit declare, “This is the highway of holiness!” I thought about Isaiah 35:8, “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.” I like to think about the Highway of Holiness. How about you?
This declaration from the Spirit sounded good, but I was not prepared for what the Lord asked next: “Are you ready to die today?” Wow! I went from thinking about being a survivor to being ready to die – today. We have a built in mechanism for survival and I had to go against my nature to say to the Lord, “Yes Lord! I am ready to die today!” Then the Spirit took me to another verse: Romans 14:7-8, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” Then I pondered a thought. Is it easier to be willing to die than to be willing to die to self. I made a decision to say “Yes!” to both.
Then the Lord reminded me of what He said in John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” The real issue concerns how you answer Jesus’ question. “Do you believe this?” The Lord is preparing us for the last days. He isn’t asking us to calculate times and predict dates. He is calling us to be ready. He is calling us to walk in faith; prepared to live for Him and prepared to die so that we can live again forever. Are you ready for it? Are you ready for His return? Now is the time and this is the season to get ready and stay alert at all times. I pray that you will be ready to let go of the things which are perishing so that you can hold on to the things that last forever! I looked back at Isaiah 35 and took courage from the passage below. I pray that it will encourage and strengthen you as well.
Isaiah 35:3-7, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.” Amen! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
Date: May 21, 2013
