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Desperate times require desperate measures
An article I wrote 02 09/16/03 that still rings true today - in fact more so than ever.
Message
 Greetings, Beloved of the Lord!
Knowing the Times and the Seasons
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.... For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear His word, or who has paid attention to His word and listened? ... but if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds..." (Jeremiah 23:16,18, 22)
We Must Hear from God!
Since 9-1-1, we, as a nation, have been dealing with the fear that at any moment another city in America (or maybe even our city), could have limited nuclear, biological or chemical warfare. I know that daily you often wonder what buses are safe for your children to ride, which malls are safe to shop at, which airplanes to take or even if it's safe to open your mail? It is essential that we hear from God in these perilous times.
In addition to terrorism, there is a renewed fear of financial shaking, the looming threat of an inescapable stock market collapse, rising unemployment, fuel shortages and the terrible concerns of seeing our sons and daughters on the front lines of a raging war (though undeclared it is still war).
It is entirely feasible that within the next decade America will move into martial law, a one world government, a one world religion, and a one world financial system. Our government leaders are already setting the stage for us, conditioning us to trade our personal and national freedoms for global peace as the fear of evil alliances and the anti-Christ loom in the not-so-distant future.
No Longer Business as Usual
When the next city in America is attacked - and it surely will be - great fear will again sweep our nation. Beloved, it is no longer business as usual as we are moving into a season of war. It will be the best of times and the worst of times as we move closer to the end of time. Judgments are coming to the nations as our Bridegroom, King and Judge shakes everything that hinders love for Him. It will be the greatest harvest of souls, accompanied with signs and wonders, yet it will also be the greatest time of catastrophic bloodshed and loss.
Beloved, it is not enough to just be on the prophetic email lists, to regurgitate other prophet's words, and to be an echo - instead of being a voice. Rather than just relying on newspapers, television news programs - even Christian books, tapes and videos - God wants you to be able to turn to Him in order to know what is going on in the world! We must be a people who stand in the counsel of the Lord, who know the hour and the season that we live in, and then to prophecy the true word of the Lord!
As Paul wrote, under Holy Spirit's inspiration, in Romans 12:1, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
The Lord is calling all of us to extravagant, sacrificial lifestyles, not living for the moment at hand, but living to know Him, the power of His resurrection and to share in His sufferings, in order that we can trumpet a clear voice and send out a clarion call, that whole nations will come and bow before our beautiful King in worship.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches...this isn't a time to plan for your retirement, or to build bigger and better barns so that you and your families can be more comfortable. Instead, desperate times call for desperate measures. The only thing that a true believer can do, in this time in human history in which we live, is to radically realign our priorities and lifestyles and wholeheartedly seek after the face and heart of God, discover what He is doing, align our hearts with His, and then pour out our lives and all of our resources into His Kingdom's work, a Kingdom that cannot be lost or stolen away from us.
Beloved, hear the voice of God speaking to your heart and come let us run together!
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