Father's
Embrace Ministries
Blog Layout
Are We Prepared
May 20, 2020
Are we prepared? “For what?” I hear you ask? “For what God is going to do next”, is what I believe the answer is to my question.
I know that God is doing something, even though I have had moments of wondering if Christians, those who are called by His Name, are taking Him seriously. I know that God is shifting and changing and preparing and doing something new. The question is, are we prepared?
God has asked me if His light is shining in me – and I would like to think that it is. But in pondering that, God has taken me to study the parable of the 10 Virgins.
In the story, the 10 virgins were waiting for the Bridegroom to come, but he was taking a long time, so they fell asleep. Suddenly the cry went out “The Bridegroom is coming”! The virgins woke and jumped to action, but 5 of them realised that they did not have enough oil in the lamps, whilst the other 5 had come prepared. They had enough oil, and when asked to share, they said “No!”.
I believe that we are like the Virgins awaiting the Bridegroom. ‘Nothing new there’ is the comment I hear. Well, you’re right, but I think that right now God is asking us if we are the 5 who are prepared for the Bridegroom’s arrival, or the 5 who aren’t.
Have we chosen to spend time with God, preparing our hearts and lives for what is to come after this season in time? Are we prepared to shine for Jesus, and will people notice? Are we prepared and ready for the new things that God is going to do? Have we heard what God has been saying to us - not in a corporate sense, i,e the Church, but as individuals? What has He shown us about what we are doing and where we are going in our own lives, and how will that look for us as we prepare to re-integrate into the world when lockdown is fully lifted?
“And He has a perfect plan every day for our transformation, healing and freedom if we will simply make space in our lives to spend time with Him and receive all He has to give. May we as the body of Christ learn what it is to live in light of the glorious inheritance of redemption, freedom and abundant life secured for us by the precious blood of Jesus”. First15 Devotional
If we will only make the space …. It’s our choice. And I believe that we have been given the opportunity. Have we taken it? Have we “filled our lamps with oil, and taken extra along?” Have we set aside time to seek God in a deeper, more meaningful way? Have we asked God to prepare us for the new things that He is doing?
I believe that God is also showing us through this parable that we cannot shine without oil, and we cannot rely on anyone else’s oil. The oil representing Holy Spirit. We need to get to know Holy Spirit for who He is, and not what He can do for us. We need to KNOW Him, not just know about Him. Kathryn Kuhlman famously said “He’s more real to me than you – more real than anything in this world.”
Another thing I believe that God is asking of us is that we become pure and holy. We are the Bride of Christ – are we worthy of Him? If not, now is the time to become more and more like Jesus. We have been given the opportunity.
We need to be ready for the Bridegroom’s coming. We don’t know when it will happen, but we need to be ready. We also need to be prepared to do what He’s asking us to do now – go into all the world and preach the Gospel. “All the world” may not necessarily mean that literally you will travel the world preaching the Gospel, but “all the world” is our family, our friends, our neighbourhood, our work colleagues. Are we prepared to share Jesus with them? We have been given the opportunity to get prepared and ready.
Are we prepared for what’s to come? We have been given the opportunity to be prepared. Have we taken it?
James W Goll (Revelatory Gleanings: A Journey with the Holy Spirit) – “The people with insight will cause people to look towards heaven. These shining ones will lead many to righteousness. We need people with true insight to arise in this global hour of chaos and confusion. I refer to these Spirit-filled believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as Hope Ambassadors or Hope Solutionists. The time is now for those with insight to arise and be a guiding light.”
He goes on to say “I repeated the following declaration from place to place from September of 2019 into January, 2020. “This is not just a New Day. It is not just the passage into a New Year or even a New Decade. No! We are crossing over into an entire New Era in the body of Christ with far reaching effects into all seven cultural mountains of the world.” Folks we are crossing over into an entirely New Era!”
https://godencounters.com/revelatory-gleanings-a-journey-with-the-holy-spirit/
We have been given the opportunity to get ready and be prepared? Are you ready and prepared?
Be blessed as you spend time with God, getting ready to arise and let the light of Christ shine through you. Be blessed as you share Jesus with those around you. Be blessed as you grow in your own relationship with God and become more holy and pure. Be blessed as you walk with Jesus every day. Be blessed.
With my love
Jean
I know that God is doing something, even though I have had moments of wondering if Christians, those who are called by His Name, are taking Him seriously. I know that God is shifting and changing and preparing and doing something new. The question is, are we prepared?
God has asked me if His light is shining in me – and I would like to think that it is. But in pondering that, God has taken me to study the parable of the 10 Virgins.
In the story, the 10 virgins were waiting for the Bridegroom to come, but he was taking a long time, so they fell asleep. Suddenly the cry went out “The Bridegroom is coming”! The virgins woke and jumped to action, but 5 of them realised that they did not have enough oil in the lamps, whilst the other 5 had come prepared. They had enough oil, and when asked to share, they said “No!”.
I believe that we are like the Virgins awaiting the Bridegroom. ‘Nothing new there’ is the comment I hear. Well, you’re right, but I think that right now God is asking us if we are the 5 who are prepared for the Bridegroom’s arrival, or the 5 who aren’t.
Have we chosen to spend time with God, preparing our hearts and lives for what is to come after this season in time? Are we prepared to shine for Jesus, and will people notice? Are we prepared and ready for the new things that God is going to do? Have we heard what God has been saying to us - not in a corporate sense, i,e the Church, but as individuals? What has He shown us about what we are doing and where we are going in our own lives, and how will that look for us as we prepare to re-integrate into the world when lockdown is fully lifted?
“And He has a perfect plan every day for our transformation, healing and freedom if we will simply make space in our lives to spend time with Him and receive all He has to give. May we as the body of Christ learn what it is to live in light of the glorious inheritance of redemption, freedom and abundant life secured for us by the precious blood of Jesus”. First15 Devotional
If we will only make the space …. It’s our choice. And I believe that we have been given the opportunity. Have we taken it? Have we “filled our lamps with oil, and taken extra along?” Have we set aside time to seek God in a deeper, more meaningful way? Have we asked God to prepare us for the new things that He is doing?
I believe that God is also showing us through this parable that we cannot shine without oil, and we cannot rely on anyone else’s oil. The oil representing Holy Spirit. We need to get to know Holy Spirit for who He is, and not what He can do for us. We need to KNOW Him, not just know about Him. Kathryn Kuhlman famously said “He’s more real to me than you – more real than anything in this world.”
Another thing I believe that God is asking of us is that we become pure and holy. We are the Bride of Christ – are we worthy of Him? If not, now is the time to become more and more like Jesus. We have been given the opportunity.
We need to be ready for the Bridegroom’s coming. We don’t know when it will happen, but we need to be ready. We also need to be prepared to do what He’s asking us to do now – go into all the world and preach the Gospel. “All the world” may not necessarily mean that literally you will travel the world preaching the Gospel, but “all the world” is our family, our friends, our neighbourhood, our work colleagues. Are we prepared to share Jesus with them? We have been given the opportunity to get prepared and ready.
Are we prepared for what’s to come? We have been given the opportunity to be prepared. Have we taken it?
James W Goll (Revelatory Gleanings: A Journey with the Holy Spirit) – “The people with insight will cause people to look towards heaven. These shining ones will lead many to righteousness. We need people with true insight to arise in this global hour of chaos and confusion. I refer to these Spirit-filled believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as Hope Ambassadors or Hope Solutionists. The time is now for those with insight to arise and be a guiding light.”
He goes on to say “I repeated the following declaration from place to place from September of 2019 into January, 2020. “This is not just a New Day. It is not just the passage into a New Year or even a New Decade. No! We are crossing over into an entire New Era in the body of Christ with far reaching effects into all seven cultural mountains of the world.” Folks we are crossing over into an entirely New Era!”
https://godencounters.com/revelatory-gleanings-a-journey-with-the-holy-spirit/
We have been given the opportunity to get ready and be prepared? Are you ready and prepared?
Be blessed as you spend time with God, getting ready to arise and let the light of Christ shine through you. Be blessed as you share Jesus with those around you. Be blessed as you grow in your own relationship with God and become more holy and pure. Be blessed as you walk with Jesus every day. Be blessed.
With my love
Jean