Can you look back on your life and see times and seasons that were dry, barren where the minutes blended into hours, into days, into weeks, into months and before you knew it, another year went by and things were pretty much the same? That is dead time, wandering, aimless time...'dead works time'.
Time must be redeemed as we cross over into 2022. we must step into God's time.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5.15-16
These are times of shakings, times where what is built on rock and what is built on sand is revealed for what it really is (Matthew 7.24-29)
Extreme times, times of separation of wheat and tare, times of blessing and cursing, life and death.....
In this time you must choose life that you and your seed may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19)
These are times when those who are wicked will be more wicked still and those who are righteous will be more righteous still. (Revelation 22.11). Why? Because everything is accumulating. Time is accumulating.
As we get closer to the return of Jesus, there is an accumulation of time, a fullness of times.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Ephesians 1.10
What response is God calling you to in this time as we cross over into what will be a critical year in this season close to the Lord's return?
What instructions are coming from Heaven?
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13.11-14
KNOWING THE TIME / 'KNOW THE KAIROS'
The word for 'time' here is the word 'Kairos' which means: 'The due measure, the time when things are brought to a crisis, the decisive epoch waited for, the opportune seasonable time that is limited.'
We must know the Kairos moment, it is limited. It is a set time that will soon pass!
IT IS HIGH TIME TO AWAKE OUT OF SLEEP
It is high time; the word here is 'hora' meaning: a certain definite time or season fixed by natural law and returning with the revolving year.
The instructions are clear!
We must awaken because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
This is not referring to when you are initially saved - but the return of the Lord!
For those who have not yet repented and put their faith in Jesus as their Lord and saviour, now is the time - you may not have tomorrow!
There are two places people go when they depart this life; heaven or hell, no in between!
To be saved and have eternal life you must repent. Repent means to give over your life to the Lordship of Christ, to stop living your own way, turn from sin, turn from believing you are good enough in your own self. It means to admit you are a sinner and come to your senses!
See your lost condition in the light of eternity! Should you depart this present life, without Christ you will be lost forever in eternal death. Your 'good works', 'being a good person' will not save you. Like a drowning man or woman, give up saving yourself, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried in the grave and rose again from death, never to die again and thus confess Him as your LORD!
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6.23
if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10.9-10
SIMPLY GET ALONE, KNEEL AND PRAY FROM YOUR HEART IN YOUR OWN WORDS TO GOD ADMITTING YOU ARE A LOST SINNER AND YOU NEED JESUS TO SAVE YOU!
For those, in Church, who are dull and asleep, you must wake up.
IT IS TIME TO WATCH AND PRAY, TO BE ALERT! TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING! (Luke 21.36, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
It is time for us all to prioritise His presence and His word above all things, that we never have a day in 2022, when we do not have 'fresh oil' (Matthew 25.1-12).
In practice what can this look like
The Church becomes a House of Prayer according to the blue print of Jesus Christ (Matthew 21.13, 1 Peter 2.5)
In view of this simple blue print, let us review all of the activities and programmes we do, and strip back down to basics.
Come to a place of DAILY corporate prayer.
Leaders may fear rocking the boat, losing members (thus losing finance) as we have inevitably shaped Church around the people and their preferences, in these past years and seasons. Is this not why we have had 'dead time'?
Leaders; over the years have we not taught people, great principles and precepts from God's word, on how to live victoriously and overcome? Why then are so many still so weak and sickly? Do we not instruct them to pray and believe?
Maybe the missing key has been, and is - the strong corporate prayer of the gathered Church.
Yes the believer must have their own walk with God, their own prayer life and reading of the word, BUT when the gathered Church prays together the power is greatly multiplied, the presence is far greater and people's individual lives are transformed as they regularly encounter the presence (Deuteronomy 32:30).
Leaders we instruct the people on what they should do, how they should read the word, how they should pray (and yes they should), but we do not realise how difficult it is, how many oppressions, yokes and burdens they carry - that they struggle so much to shift on their own. The people need the strong presence of God in the corporate prayer to break those oppressions, remove the yokes and burdens! Leaders - we must pay the price to create this environment, we must stop much of our activities and make the Church - HIS Church; The House of Prayer!
The prayer meeting must become the beating heart of the Church. Once a month will do nothing! In these times we must increase it.
Leaders - call your people and gather them to pray! Be the first to make the sacrifice and the inconvenience. Through out your programmes and through yourself on God. Get rid of the stage and rebuilt the altar! Stop working on your great communication abilities and be broken in the presence of God!
In these critical times we must shape the House around the presence of God and as we turn from putting our trust in the arm of flesh and put our trust fully in Him, we will not be put to shame, we will not be defeated.
It will call for sacrifice - a living, not a dead, sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) and as we turn from our wicked ways, humble ourselves and repent He will come and heal our land 2 Chronicles 7.14
It is a sacrifice to seek His presence, it is an inconvenience to the flesh BUT the word of the Lord in this time is: 'all your dead time will be redeemed and in 2022 you shall accelerate, and accumulate until their is an outpouring of the presence of God in such a measure as to be a great awakening and revival across our land.
It is far far better to labour hard in the Spirit than to labour hard in the flesh.