SUDDEN TERROR IS COMING (PART #4)

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9: 3-4)



We now come to the last key in this series. We have been warning you of an unleashing of supernatural fear and terror coming on this earth. This fear being brought on by spirits from Hell, is not something made from man, nor can man’s strength combat against it. And it is coming as part of a last ditch effort by Satan to destroy as much of the bride of Christ as he can, in these last days.

In our scripture today, we see another example of fear and terror, but this one is the good kind. Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus, with letters from the religious leaders in Jerusalem, giving him authority to destroy this new extremist group called Christians. En route to the city, a sudden burst of light knocks him off his horse to the ground, and there he has his first encounter with the one he was trying to destroy, Jesus Christ. In trembling fear he calls out to the Lord, and receives what we can call; HIS OWN PERSONAL WORD from the Creator of the Universe.

By now you should know I am talking about the conversion of Paul the Apostle. And if you are a follower of his life and teachings, you also know Paul never got over that Damascus road experience. It changed his life, even to the point of changing his name, forever. In all his epistles, this event is there, whether lurking behind the scenes, or in plain language, that personal experience with Christ not only changed him, at that point in his life, it also drove him forward everyday thereafter. It motivated him to endure shipwrecks, snakebites, beatings and caused him to preach Christ all over the known world of the time.

Beloved, this is the prime example of the difference in the “personal word” from God we have been begging you to get, and some word from a Pastor, book or televangelist. This “personal word” is not the same word you got 20 years ago, that you have been holding on to like an exhibit in a museum. That word doesn’t move you anymore. The word from God we are talking about wakes you up in the middle of the night, driving you forward thru the day, causing you to sleep thinking about God, living thru the day like he could come at any minute. This word not only strengthens you in trials and troubles, but propels you thru them because your spirit is strong and your heart burns to pursue him like a thirsty deer looking for water.

Again, this word is just for you, personalized from Jesus Christ because you have been in prayer receiving it in his presence. It is not a random promise you pulled from the Bible because you like that one. It is a word from God himself to you. And it is made up of God speaking to your soul like this; “(insert your name here) – be strong and of a good courage, I am with thee - (insert your name here), I will not fail thee nor forsake thee”. God is alive and well, and he still speaks today. He speaks thru his word and directly into your soul with a still small voice by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Can you honestly say, today, you carry such a word in your soul? Does it drive you forward to pursue God every day, no matter what comes your way? Dear saint, please, no cost is too great to seek God for this “personal word”. It is the only thing that will save your soul and your sanity from the sudden (supernatural) terror that is coming.

SUDDEN TERROR IS COMING (PART #3)

“And he requested for himself that he might die; and said, it is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)




In this passage today we find Elijah, one of the greatest Prophets God ever anointed, running for his life from the evil Queen Jezebel. Elijah had just come from a showdown on Mt. Carmel with these prophets of Baal. We are all familiar with this story, how Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal against the one true God of Israel. He had just called down fire from the sky after these false prophets cried aloud to Baal to prove himself real all day. Then after Elijah showed the children of Israel that the God of Abraham was the real thing, he systematically destroyed all these prophets with the sword.

It was one of the greatest showdowns of power against evil the world had ever known. And as soon as news came to Jezebel that her favorite prophets had been killed, she sent word to Elijah that she would kill him also. Now we come to our scripture. As Elijah fled to the wilderness of Beer-Sheba, he sat under a Juniper tree, in utter terror, praying to God that he would take his life. How could this be? I must admit that ever since I first read this story, I was dumbfounded at Elijah’s fear. How could a man of God, so anointed with power that he could call fire down from the sky, pray for rain and cause it to be so, and part rivers like Moses, become afraid of one little woman’s threat?

God has shown me recently, that this was not normal fear. Beloved, this was SUPERNATURAL TERROR! Satan, wanting revenge, unleashed a supernatural attack of fear and despair on this man. So powerful was this spirit of fear, that it could take a man of God, which has just moved in the power of his spirit, and utterly destroy his confidence in anything. Think about it! How could you go from calling fire down from heaven, and in five minutes running for your life in horrid terror? It would take a fear and hopelessness unleashed from the bowels of Hell, not drummed up from a man made fear or worry. How did Elijah come to his senses? How did he find the courage to face Jezebel and her evil army again?

It is simple; it took God coming to him personally with a word to strengthen him. The bible records a strong wind coming by, but God was not in the wind, then a great earthquake, but God was not in that either. Finally a great fire came through, but no presence of God was in the fire. It wasn’t until God passed by Elijah in a still small voice, telling him what to do and encouraging him he was with him, that Elijah could destroy the supernatural grip of fear and terror in his mind. This word, this still small voice, was tailor made just for Elijah, it belonged to him. It was given to him by God and it belonged to no one else. I tell you now, as I have told you before, Get into the presence of Jesus and ask him for a personal word from him to you for these last days.

Ask him beloved, and he will give it to you. And when you get it, you will find strength to fight against the fear and worry and terror to be unleashed on this world. When everyone is crying and weeping with no hope, you will stand with confidence that the Lord is with you, and will not forsake you. You have a personal promise from the Creator of the universe!

SUDDEN TERROR IS COMING (PART #2)

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)




In the last devotional, we warned you about a coming terror so great, so powerful you will not be able to stand it. Satan, knowing his time is short, is throwing everything at the children of God to stop them. This fear is supernatural. It is not anything made from man, nor can man’s strength fight it. And Satan knows fear and worry breed doubt and unbelief, therefore stopping you from doing anything or getting anything from God. It is designed to cut off all your abilities from working, and cut off your lifeline from God.

This devotional will be centered on the key, THE ONLY KEY, to fight it. We can find our first example in the book of Joshua. Joshua, as you remember, was the sidekick to Moses in the wilderness. He was with him on Mt. Sinai when God was there; he was one of two spies that actually believed God could deliver the land of Canaan. And in our passage today we find him in paralyzing fear. Moses has just died, and he is standing there, without the leader he has leaned on for forty years. I can hear him saying; “what am I to do now?” But God came to him with a word, A PERSONAL WORD, just for him. And this personal word rebuked all fear in his mind. I could see as God spoke a promise to him, all terror and worry melting away like butter. God told him that he would always be with him, to be strong and full of courage, as he was with Moses, in all that power and glory, he would be with him, leading him all the way.

Do you see the key beloved? What will cause you to make it thru this mind boggling terror, this supernatural fear that screams in your mind, is a personal word just for you. This is why your Pastor’s god he speaks about will not deliver you. A televangelist or book will not bring your mind back to sanity. It will be you, getting into Jesus’ presence on your own, and him speaking a word, a promise, just for you. This was what Joshua leaned on as he battled for the land of Israel. This word is your only key to rebuking the terror.

Hurry, get in his presence now, don’t wait a second longer. The supernatural terror is on its way. It could happen at any minute. This world is reeling ever closer to the end, and Jesus’ return. Things are happening at light speed. Get your word, your promise from God now!

SUDDEN TERROR IS COMING

"thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day." (Psalm 91:5)


In past devotionals, we encouraged you that your faith is the key to standing in these last days. Satan is setting loose spirits of fear, worry and doubt. The Bible states Men’s hearts will fail them, for fear of the things that will come on this earth (Luke 21:26). These spirits of fear and worry are supernatural! These spirits of evil WILL cause you to worry and fear. When the stock market crashes, you WILL worry. When you can’t get your medicine anymore, you WILL fear. When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, you WILL faint with doubt and worry.

Let me emphasize this again. THIS IS A SUPERNATURAL FEAR AND TERROR! This is not the ordinary man made fear you feel at a good horror movie. It is not one of the many phobias and fears we carry in our mind like the fear of heights. Satan is setting loose the most horrible fear, the kind that makes you feel desolate, hopeless, and worried beyond any ability to cope. The Lord has shown me what kind of terror this is, and friend, without the intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, we have been warning you to get, YOU WILL NOT STAND AGAINST THIS FEAR, WORRY AND TERROR!

This is the beginnings of the end. And this terror is about to be set loose on mankind, as a judgment against their evil deeds and choices against God. It is supernatural. You do not have the strength to fight it. A preacher’s word of encouragement will not help you, you will die with it. A pastor’s book or sermon series will not give you any relief. You will die with it. Words and visions and dreams you have held on to for the last 20 years will crumble before you, as the pressure of this terror becomes so strong. You will die with it in your hands. Imagine the worst terror you have ever experienced, then multiply it by one billion times, do you think you are ready to stand, right now?

But there is hope! There is a way of escape! God is such a wonderful God, that he has made a way to fight against this supernatural fear and terror coming. For those who will listen to us at Watchmen of the Wall.com, Jesus has shown us the key to standing against this wicked supernatural power. But you must listen to us right now. In the coming devotionals, I will explain the key to standing against this terror, it is the ONLY way to stand, there is no other. Please, be watching for the next devotionals, then you will be equipped to stand against the TERROR that suddenly comes in the night.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)




In the last lessons titled; "THE HOUR BEFORE THE HOUR", we spent time finding out about the terrible hour of persecution coming to the church and saints of God. We learned that know one is escaping this, and that you must prepare NOW, to have the strength to stand, then. We learned of the weapons Jesus gave us to become warriors, standing strong, when the trouble comes. These weapons are:



• PRAISE AND WORSHIP (in church and in our everyday lives)

• PRAYER ( a time set aside everyday for one on one relationship building - not just at church or mealtime)

• PRECEPT- THE WORD OF GOD (the logos or written word of God that we should be reading and studying everyday)

I suggest you re-read these 4 part lessons as much as possible and let only your Bible reading time out number the times you read these. Who I want to talk to now are the people who have took this series to heart and are doing it. I am talking now to the people who are worshipping God with song, with dance, and with love and affection in their prayer time everyday. I am talking to the people who are listening to the call to prayer. Who are finding time alone with God every day, sitting at his feet to listen and love on him the way Mary did. And by the way, you will know you are doing it right when the "Martha's" of the church and world get mad. And, I am speaking to the ones who have took up the call to grab their Bible, dust off it's unused pages, and began to breathe it in to their soul as an astronaut consumes oxygen on the moon.



NOW THAT YOU ARE DOING IT............WHAT IS NEXT?



When once a house is built, then all that is left is what is called in the construction world; "PREVENTIVE MAINTAINANCE". The owner of the house will inspect said house every so often to check for leaks, cracks, termite damage and wear and tear that would cause the house to eventually rot and fall. When a bridge is finally built to span a chasm uncrossable, crews will come in to inspect its support beams and structural integrity for coming failure and possible castastrophe.



When the I-35 bridge in Minnesota collasped in August, 2007, it fell at the busiest, most crowded, time during the day. As people were rushing home from work, around 6:00 PM, that day one hundred people's lives would change forever. The bridge, built in 1964, hadn't had a "preventive maintaince" check in a long time. Because the bridge was took for granted it was working good, and had never had any problems before, inspections became fewer and far between. And because of this lethargy, un-noticed to the many children, dads and moms crossing this bridge every day, a crack had formed in one of the support beams holding this massive, 1,900 foot long, span up.



Wear and tear of everyday use, rain pounding on it's structure, the cold and heat making a cycle of freezing and swelling bolts and connections, finally formed a small, tiny crack. In the image below, taken from the bridge itself, is where inspectors of the disaster traced the failure....

  Above is the actual picture taken from the wreckage of I-35, showing the actual crack, just a few inches long, that caused the deaths of 13 people and injuring 145. Think of it! this little, tiny crack, caused 100 cars to plummet 115 feet to the river below, some to their death. In an instant, in a blinking of an eye, a bridge which stood proud for 40 years was lying at the bottom of the river, with 100 cars, mangled and twisted bodies, and 81 feet of bridge on top of them.


Beloved, this little crack did bring down the mighty I-35 bridge, but this crack is not what killed them. What killed 13 men, women and children that day? What sent 145 people to an emergency room was not a 4" inch long crack, not really. It was the utter failure and apathy of a crew, commissioned to stand watch over and inspect the mighty I-35, that ultimately is to blame. Slowly, over time, as wear and tear worked it's magic, as little droplets of rain pounded its joints little by little, the crew charged with keeping I-35 safe, over time, cared less and less and took for granted it's strength more and more. And at the very end, a small crack caused such loss of life


I don't blame the rain, it was just doing its job. Nor the elements or wear and tear, that also is a natural progression of time and physics. Who must bear the burden the rest of their lives of the many who perished that day were the leaders who were in charge. Beloved, what do you think would have happened had the crews been out there, inspecting every day? Combing over its beams and structure, keeping a trained eye on anything unusal or out of the ordinary? I can tell you this, that bridge would not have crumbled, and no one would have died.


So is with our spiritual and eternal lives dear reader. In the coming lesions we will describe to what our Lord requires of us in “preventive maintenance”. We will learn why the above scripture is key to your survival in this, and, you will see just how much you, and that bridge, have in common.

THE HOUR BEFORE THE HOUR (PART #4)

" My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."  (Hosea 4:6)

 Now we come to the final weapon in this series, "The HOUR before the hour". In the last lessons we learned, there is an hour coming, a time of great trouble that the world has never seen before in its history. Diseases running wild with no cure. Famine in the earth with millions starving for food. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and other natural disasters on an unprecidented scale. We learned that this HOUR must come upon every human on this people planet, saved and unsaved. We also found out that in this time, which by now you know is not a literal "60 minute" period, but an undetermined amount of time of trial, persecution never before witnessed, that God will seem as though he is silent and far away.

But we also learned some good news. In the last lessons, we learned that our Lord, Jesus Christ, has left us weapons to stand in this evil day. We learned of  the weapons of:

• PRAISE AND WORSHIP- Which brings down the presence of God
• PRAYER - Which builds the personal relationship with God that will must have

And now we come to the final weapon, PRECEPT. Another word for this THE WORD OF GOD, your Bible. Again, like PRAYER, there are hundreds of books on this subject and many ways that this weapon has been presented. For time's sake I will bring out only two points on this issue that you need to know to use this as a weapon.

Look at our reference above. God was speaking to the prophet Hosea about the backslidden, rebellious condition the children of Isreal were in. No longer would they listen to the instruction of the word of God already given to them in the books of Moses and existing writings by other prophets. No longer would they listen to the words of prophets and priests that stood up right then with a word from God. They came to the place where "every one did that which was right in their OWN eyes". So God was giving Hosea this eternal truth, that his people were being destroyed by a lack of knowledge. This is not meaning there were not any smart people in Isreal, or any schools or books of knowledge. God was saying that the people were perishing in the sin of their disobedience and rebellion because they refused the knowledge of God.

They did not any longer wish to know what God thought about right or wrong. No longer cared what God said to do and not to do, but came to the place where they wanted only to do what they thought was ok and right. Beloved, this evil has never left us. Turn on your TV, read a newspaper or listen to the commentaries of our political and even church leaders today and you will find a hatred for this book called the Bible like has never been. Political leaders like President Obama, celebrites like Oprah Winfrey, and many others in power believe there is not only ONE truth. They all push an agenda in our society and schools that say there are many ways to God, truth is relative ( meaning depending on how you want to look at it). And they say that the Bible is a fallable book, containing no truth and written only by men who made mistakes.

I want to boldy stand and proclaim this TRUTH right now!

• THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY GOD AUTHORED, GOD INSPIRED, AND HOLY GHOST BREATHED BOOK ON THIS PLANET...PERIOD
• THE MEN WHO WROTE IN ITS PAGES WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST, TOLD WHAT TO WRITE BY THE HOLY GHOST. NO HUMAN AUTHORED OR WROTE THIS BOOK
• IT CONTAINS THE ONE, THE ONLY TRUTH IN THE UNIVERSE. ANY OTHER BOOK OR SOURCE IS A LIE.

Beloved, the Koran is a lie, the catholic bible is a lie, the book of Mormom is a lie, the Jehovah's witness bible is a lie. Your KJV bible, ( and any translations that are older) contain the only truth about who God is, the only way to heaven, and the ways to stay out of Hell. Many people have given their lives to protect this truth, distribute this truth to the common man and I encourage you to read the history of your Bible. Maybe we wouldn't use it for a decoration on our coffee table if we knew the men and women who were raped, beheaded, set on fire and their children tortured and killed for believeing, preaching and copying this Bible to give to others.

Your Bible contains the only way to stand against Satan. Contained in this book is the truths that reveal how Satan works, the power we have to not only stand against him, but to cast him out in Jesus name. Without your bible, how would you know Jesus gave us power to cast out demons and devils in his name. Without your bible how would you know Jesus defeated Satan forever on the cross and destroyed his power to chain souls in their sin. Without your bible how would you know the traps he uses to destroy you, to stay away from hatred, anger, fornication, adultery, murder, backbiting, and know that Jesus has gave us power not to fulfill these lusts in our lives. My friend, you would be blind and easy pickings for the Devil to destroy without knowing these promises and wind up on a road to eternal Hell you never knew you were walking on.

That is point one, my final point is this. Without The WORD OF GOD, we would not know the promises of God to us from him. We would not know how much he loves us with an everlasting love, that he is and always will be faithful to us. That he is not an "Indian Giver", someone who promises something and never makes good or delivers. But we see time and time again, in the WORD, how God promised and whatever it took to make it come to pass, he did it. We see how he never failed Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, and all who put their trust in his promises. We see how he sent the greatest promise of his love and power, Jesus, to this earth to redeem us from Satan and a road to Hell. We see how God's love is so great that he sent his only Begotten (birthed by God himself) son into this world, than gave him to be tortured and killed, just for us! It reminds me of the words of the great song; "Because he loved me my saviour died......he suffered it all, because he loved me". My friend, you would have no knowledge of this, none. You would be left to your own devices and intellect to figure God out without your Bible. And know this, your devices, all your intellectual prowess, would never figure out the truths that a holy God knows. You would fall to every trap Satan would bring, you would not believe the faithfulness and power of God, and you would die in your sins.

I close with this. When all else fails, when the world crumbles, and when no one has any answers, only those who have got alone with God, know his voice now, know his word intimately, now, and know his promises by heart will be able to stand in this coming hour. Every preacher, pastor, world leader, every person will shake and quake and fall over in fear because they have no understanding, no knowledge of God and his word. Pick your Bible off of the table, pull it out of the nice little bookstore cover you have it in and begin reading and memorizing those precious promises. they will never fail you. Learn what God is, what he wants and demands, before it is to late. My friend, don't stand on judgement day and perish in Hell because you had no knowledge of God. Read his word, and live.

THE HOUR BEFORE THE HOUR (PART #3)

"....The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  (James 5:16)

We will not focus on the other half of weapon number one today, prayer. In the last lesson we showed the power and application of the first half of this weapon, Praise and worship. Don't forget that these two weapons go together and cannot be seperated from each other. You must be using both together and not focus on having one more healthy than the other. All these weapons, PRAISE AND PRAYER - PRECEPT go together and work together. Let us begin breaking the weapon of PRAYER down now.

First let me say this, there are hundreds of books and teaching on prayer today. You cannot walk into a bookstore without a huge section devoted to the subject. Preachers have preached many sermons on this weapon. I'm sure you've heard at least one sermon this month on this topic. I don't want to get into the hundreds of aspects and benefits and the do's and don'ts of praying here. What we will learn are the points contained in our scripture reference above, all you need to know is contained in this verse, to begin.

Point one, let's take a note that James is talking about a man who is praying, every day. It escapes me to understand how we can call ourselves a christian, the bride of Christ, and not take time to talk to our husband, God. How long, in a marriage, do you think would last if the man and woman never spoke to each other? My friend, it would soon crumble to the divorce court! Without talking to each other there would be no connection built. They wouldn't know what each other like or disliked, loved or not loved, or even if they were compatable for a lifetime relationship. Most important, without communicating their love for each other, how would they know they ever cared? Beloved, just having love for someone is god, but not enough! It takes communicating this love verbally, physically showed in some way, or it is useless.

So without daily communion with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, how do you know they love you? How will He know you love him? How will you know God's heart? What he wants and thinks about himself, and about you? How will you recieve the things you need, problems you need solved, if you never spend quality time with God? I will say it again, this one on one time I speak of builds the relationship connection that will give you the power to stand in these last days. You will not make it without your own one on one relationship with God. The one your mother had will not cover you. The one your Pastor has will not save you. It must be you and him getting to know each other that will give you the faith, the trust, the power to stand in this evil day. NOTHING LESS WILL DO.

I must move on, but i will say this to finish this point. When I speak of quality time I do not mean the two minutes it takes to thank God for your dinner tonite. I do not mean the quick "grab him and go" prayer you give him when you run into trouble. Those things do not, and never will, build the intimate personal connection I speak of.

James is speaking ohere of a man, no matter what the cost, that is making time every day to spend time with God alone. Think of Daniel. He was a man who was busy every day running a country, and on the board of advisors to kings, and still made time to pray to God three (3) times a day to God! Imagine what would happen if we took our lunch time at work and gave it to God in prayer! Imagine what would happen if we sacrificed the time we preserve to make sure we don't miss that hour long TV show each week, and gave it to God in prayer! Yes, it will cost you, turning off the cell phone, giving up all that time on facebook, and getting away from the aimless time spent with family and friends to do this. You might even have to jump into your walk-in closet at home and shutting the door to get alone, but it is well worth it!

Beloved, the benefits will always outweigh anything you must sacrifice to spend time in prayer. James in essence is telling us one who is praying, everyday, one on one with God, FERVENTLY (that means with all your heart and strength) will avail much! Let me break that down for you.

He or she will AVAIL (produce) this:

• Hear the voice of GOD almighty ( imagine that!)
• Destroy fear, depression, worry and anxiety
• Protect themselves and loved ones from danger and harm
• SEE MIRACLES! (imagine that one!)
• See your church and leaders preach with power and annointing, and have his presence in your service for a change.

I could go on and on with the benefits here. But I will stop with the greatest one of all. It will cause you to fall in love with Jesus, like you never have before. As the presence of the Holy Ghost overwhelms you in love, and you allow time for your Father to speak to you, and the tears flow and your hands shake under the power of his love, and he whispers sweet peace to your soul and loves you like only a father can. I think once you get into this presence in prayer, you won't have to be prodded anymore to go and pray. You will be running with giddy anticipation every day to get into the lap of your heavenly father.

I close with this. Prayer is a weapon. It destroys enemy strongholds, casts out devils, heals the sick, raises the dead and delivers anyone from anything on earth. But most of all, it builds an connection with a holy god that causes you to become one, in love, knowing each other personally and intimately. Believe me, when he comes back again to gather his own, he will not forget those who  have entered his bedchamber in prayer and have a personal, intimate, first name basis connection with him.

Beloved, find time with God. Make time, every day, for your lover, your master, your lord Jesus. If it takes literally going into a closet and shutting the door to get alone, do it. He promises what we pray, alone with him, he will reward with his presence being there. Give him time to speak back to you! Don't rush off once you have finished talking. I promise you will see your life change, wonderous things happen when you begin to pray. I challenge you, take this time and try God, and see just how wonderful God is, alone with you.

THE HOUR BEFORE THE HOUR (PART #2)

"PRAISING GOD, and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved". (Acts 2:47)

This is part two in the series, "The HOUR before the hour". In this lesson we shall expound on one of the two weapons Jesus used, and left us to use, to be able to stand in your coming hour. First, let us recap the reason for this series. In the previous lesson, we learned there is a coming HOUR for everyone, Jesus our Lord was not exempt from this hour. It is an hour coming upon this earth of tribulation and trouble scheduled in the life of every believer. For Jesus, it was the horror and suffering of the cross, for you and I it will be some type of trial or trouble that will be the hardest, strongest, we have ever faced. It will destroy, as it is designed, any type of half-hearted life to God. No type of doubt filled faith, lukewarm or middle of the road christian lifestyle will stand in this hour. One thing is for certain, it is not a 60 minute time period, but an undetermined time of testing and trial, and when it will come to you and me I do not know, but it will come.

The good news are the weapons Jesus left us to stand in this hour. These weapons are mighty and powerful to the pulling down of strongholds, the kind that will try our faith and lifestyle to God in this coming hour. These weapons are annointed to help you to stand, victorious, in this hour, and at the end be standing strong in the grace and favor of God. You can make it thru the coming "hour", but only by using these weapons and them only. let's begin with the first weapon: PRAISE AND PRAYER.

For time and space sake, I will focus on the topic of PRAISE here, and PRAYER in the next lesson. Webster's dictonary defines the word praise as this; "To adore, to hold in deep affection, to love intensely". Praise is a powerful tool that throughout the Bible was used to bring down the presence of God in a place or situation, to drive out demons and devils from a person or place, and to win important battles and defeat armies. King Saul, after being rejected by God for disobedience to his command, was given a demon from Hell to torment him day and night. This demon was driving Saul to a nervous breakdown, and he had no peace day or night until he would call on a young king to be, David, to come play his harp and sing praises to God in his presence. David's praise would drive out the demon, every time, and give Saul peace in his soul.

Praise and worship is NOT just a function in a church service. It is not twenty minutes of singing red hymnal songs that makes praise and worship. It is a weapon of war, It is a lifestyle, it is a heart that is so full of affection and love that it cannot contain it and must come out by lifting a hand in the air, by shedding tears till your eyes are red as stop lights, by using your mouth to sing and shout aloud the wonder and love and adoration that is in your heart and soul for a God and father that has loved you with a love that you did not deserve.  Look at our definition, praise is to love intensely, passionately, as the woman in the Song of Solomon. Praise is not a noun, it is a verb, which means it requires physical action and response. The days of those who just sit in a pew, fold their arms, and never move one muscle to sing, shout, cry and phsically praise God are gone. The true worshippers, the ones that have the power and grace to stand, are those you will find that are beating there chest in service, crying tears, dancing before the Lord, and have a heart that knows to whom much has been forgiven, must love out loud and physical.

Praise is commanded and desired by God. The Bible tells us he wants us to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts (Church) with praise. Priests were commanded in the Old Testament to have a job day and night to only sing a praise God in the temple. To approach him before this action was done would cause some serious problems for you. The Bible also tells us to praise him with our lips, with our musical instruments ( God help our church of christ brothers who are wrong), and with our hands and with a lifestyle dedicated and consecrated every day to a Father who forgave us and bought us when we didn't deserve it and he didn't have to do it. The victory of praise and worship to God in your prayer life, at church and work is this: IT BRINGS DOWN THE HOLY GHOST INTO THE PLACE YOU ARE IN.

I want to say something here to any preacher, teacher or singer reading this; it is not how loud and good you preach, it is not how deep and intelligent you teach, it is not how good and pretty you sing that makes any difference or moves a devil one inch off of a believer. It is the power and presence of the HOLY GHOST that breaks bondages, saves souls, destroys the enemies plans and drives Satan out of your church and life. All your plans, programs and denominations mean nothing and do nothing. It is only when we praise and worship God till the same presence that formed the worlds, raised Jesus from the dead and filled the disciples on pentecost comes down will people be healed, saved and delivered. Without him preacher, teacher and singer you are as blind, poor, wretched and naked as the Laodicean church in Revelation. God help us to get this back into our services, churches and personal lives.

One of Satan's main devices thru the ages has been to stop the Praise and worship in our church. Stop the flow of the gifts of the spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. Stop the physical action of lifting hands, crying at the altar, laying hands on the sick and depressed and singing till the Glory of God comes into the house. Now, he has placed hirelings, leaders with no sense of the moving of the spirit in charge, and they have confined this into 2 songs and take up an offering, very dignified, service. Everything is planned down to the minute. All the while the people recieve no power, no presence, and dry up and die under such devilish devices. Dear reader, if you are in a place of worship where you are not allowed to let the Holy Spirit move you to tears, move you working in the spiritual gifts, move you to go to the altar, move you to lift your hands in praise I have a word for you; GET OUT! RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!. Find you a place where you can move in liberty.

I pray today, make praise and worship part of your every day life. In your prayer time, begin with Praise first. Thru the day, every day, praise God by living a life and talking a talk that would not make God ashamed of you on judgement day. It doesn't take a pretty voice to sing, it doesn't take a minister to talk out loud of his praises. It just takes you, making the decision today, now. to say I will praise him with everything I have every day. Start now child of God, your life depends on it.

THE HOUR BEFORE THE HOUR

"These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his HOUR was not yet come"....(John 8:20)

The story above is a very compelling one. Jesus was rebuking the religious leaders of Isreal for their evil plan to kill him. I love how Jesus comes straight to the heart of the matter and plainly, in front of many witnesses rebukes them so hard they wish to grab him then, to kill him. This is where our scripture above comes in, and the pint of our lesson today.

These leaders were so angry at Jesus they wished to grab him then and kill him, but could not, because Jesus' hour was not then. God's protective hand was on Jesus, and no power of man or demon could touch him, until the APPOINTED HOUR for Jesus to be taken and crucified. When the Bible speaks here of an hour, it is not meaning a literal 60 minute time period. It means a fixed point ahead, an event in the future pre-planned, that will come at the time appointed by God. Even though Jesus could pass thru crowds, raise the dead, and deliver many people, in the back of his mind, forever looming closer, was an event he knew he could not allow himself to escape. And that would be the suffering of the cross. All the lives of every human ever born would depend on that hour.

I praise God that he endured that hour. A time of tribulation and suffering so harsh you and I could never have endured it. But beloved, though it looked like Jesus was powerless in that hour, that was far from the case. He used two (2) powerful weapons all through his earthly life, and he left them for us to use!....let me explain.

First, I must warn you...... YOUR HOUR HAS NOT YET COME!

Now you must be saying; "but sir, I already have endured suffering!". I am not talking about the trials and troubles of normal living that this broken planet brings. There is coming an HOUR, on this earth, for the children of men living, that has never been before. Where the earth will reel and rock under the judgement of God. Where Christians will be killed, and their families, for their faith. Children will be killed for their faith in Christ. Earthquakes and disease spread like flies on a dead carcass, with no hope of cure or prediction in sight. Women and men and children starve because they refuse to accept the currency of a devil possessed world leader who would damn their souls to hell with it.

And in this very same HOUR, it follows an erie silence from God. No word coming from heaven, no "goose bumps" of his presence to feel....nothing. But, in reality, God has not relinquished command and has not left you without any weapons to survive. This hour is coming for every church, every pastor, teacher, and every person that warms a pew. Their is no escape for us alive today. But their is good news, for you have two very powerful weapons that our Lord left us. These weapons carried him thru the horror of the cross, and it will carry you thru your coming hour. One last thing, you must get and use these weapons for without them you will not stand.

WEAPON #1 = PRAISE AND PRAYER

WEAPON #2 = PRECEPT (THE WORD OF GOD)

Please understand this universal truth:.. YOU MUST HAVE BOTH. One will not work without having the other as well. You cannot have just one, both must be present. Think of a gun without any bullets, or having a box of shells without any weapon...USELESS! So is praise and prayer and no reading of the word. The same holds true for lots of devotion to reading the Bible, and very little to non-existant prayer life. Without both the imbalance of your walk with God will implode on you, causing you and your faith to fail. And that could cost you your life in the coming "HOUR".

We will brake down these weapons in the coming lessons to show you what they do exactly, and how to use them. I pray that you read and follow this series "THE COMING HOUR". I pray that you listen and do what is said. I pray you begin to use these weapons now, your life here, and after, depend on it.

GOT ANY PRAISE LEFT?

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)


I find a lot Christians have a problem with worshipping God, when there is no reason to worship him. We have been conditioned by preachers and man-made denominations that the only right time to worship God is when the preacher says it okay in service, and how to worship by your local denominational rules.

We have been robbed and raped, by these rules and misguided preachers, from a key to entering into the presence and power of a living God. It is those who do not wait on a “right time”, or a goose bump feeling to praise God that enter into a fellowship and strength others miss out on, and ultimately loose faith in their trials.

It was easy for the children of Israel to praise God at the Red Sea, after they crossed over, after pharaoh’s army had drowned, after they crossed safely to the other side, then they sang a song of deliverance. Beloved, those are not true worshippers. Shortly after such great deliverance, because their worship was feeling based, they began to curse God and Moses at the waters of Mariah, 3 days later!

What Satan does not want you to know is this..... Praise and Worship of God, in your prayer time at home, thru the week, at your church enters you into the very presence God! This where you will find answers to your problems, deliverance from Satan, healing for your body, salvation for your loved ones and friends. The key to everything you need is in his presence, and true worship comes from your heart, whether in a song or by the words of your mouth, one on one with God. Whether you do it by tears or lifting of hands, whatever it is a physical act. I encourage you today, make up your mind to begin your prayers with worship, everday thru the week, not just on Sunday. And, don't let a preacher, a denomination or anything stop you from worshipping God. Start now, your key to what you need is there.

Make up your mind today, not to give God praise when you feel a big moving of the spirit, or when the preacher says so. Make up your mind to begin now to praise God because he is, and he is worthy. Lean not to your understanding, look not at your trial and trouble, and begin to praise God now. You will find he will come to you, and you will see his salvation and comfort, in the praise!

TAKE AUTHORITY! IN JESUS NAME!

We read in the book of Acts, Chapter 19, about a very powerful story. It seems there were seven sons born to a man named Sceva. These sons had heard of the preaching of Paul the Apostle, and how there was a man called Jesus, in whose name, when called upon, could perform miracles. Sceva was a priest in the city they lived in, so these men were familiar with the God, and knew the stories of miracles that he performed.

When these men believed the story of Paul, that the Messiah had come, and it is Jesus, they decided to take it upon themselves to use that name. In short, they came upon a man in the town who was possessed with a powerful demon. And upon facing this man, decided to try their new found name of Jesus against this demon. This story takes a turn for the worse when the demon speaks back to the sons this powerful statement; " Jesus I know, and Paul I know, BUT WHO ARE YOU?". These men were sent home running with the clothes tore from there bodies and barely escaping with there lives as the demon attacked them.

What happened here? Why did this name of Jesus not work? Is there no power in this name? Did God seemingly fail? NO! a thousand times NO!

Beloved, God is and always will be more powerful than any demon from Hell. The name of Jesus will ALWAYS be above every name in the universe for salvation, healing, redemption, deliverance. The missing key here for the seven sons of Sceva is very simple. Look at what the demon said here. He says Jesus he knows and Paul he knows. That word "Know" means in essence:

• To know one INTIMATELY, inside and out
• To have a PERSONAL connection

This demon was saying, I know Paul. I know very well he has an intimate connection with God the father. I know Jesus, he is Lord and King, even over me, and I know he is connected with God the father. But I also know YOU (the sons of sceva) have no connection, no personal relationship, with Jesus and this name. Beloved, the demon knew that these sons only knew this name Jesus from hearing about him. when you read this story you will see these men never knew Jesus, never had a personal relationship with him. there was no personal connection with the Holy Ghost living inside them and birthing them into the family of God. What they were using this name for was no more than a magical spell. And friend, there is no power in a magical incantation, even when you bring the name of Jesus into it.

Authority ONLY comes from one place. Time spent in the presence of GOD! My friend, if you have a personal connection with Jesus, if you have been born of the HOLY GHOST, if you have been birthed into the family of God, and you spend time in that presence getting to know Jesus intimately, and He you, then you have power with God just like Jacob. He gives you authority (POWER) to rebuke demons off your family, friends, finances, Pastor, Church. He gives you power to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. He gives you power to intercede for lost and backslidden souls just like abraham. And most important, He gives you power to be a son of God, to live like Jesus did, produce the fruits meet to be a child. To love your enemies, pray for them that hate you, and have faith in God thru the storms of life.

Dear reader, the key here is building a connection, personal and intimate, thru the spirit, with the father in Jesus name. If you wonder why your prayers go unanswered, why it seems God is not in your life situations, why you never feel what they do at church when the tears begin to flow on others, this is your problem. Jesus these people know, but who are you?

I beg you today to find time to make Jesus personal. There is no power in just a name. You might as well call my name out against a devil, it is just the same. The power in Jesus name comes when you have spent time alone, and personal with God, built a relationship one on one with him thru the Holy Ghost. I beg you, there are things coming upon this world and in your life that will take this "intimate authority" to make it or you will find yourself tore apart like the sons of Sceva.

Get alone with Jesus, read his word and seek his face, one on one while you still can. Then you will have something behind that name of Jesus when you use it.....POWER!

THE CRY GOD HEARS AND ANSWERS

I know that the above title causes one to feel offended. I can already here the statements of rebuke – “God hears all our cries” and “how dare you say God doesn’t hear me when I pray”. Beloved, I don’t refute that fact. God is omnipotent, omnipresent and is everywhere, in every place, all the time. He is right now beholding all the good, and all the bad, that you and I and all of humanity is doing right now. But, there is a difference between hearing and answering is there not? I could go to my earthly father when I was young, and ask him “could I have a brand new car?”. Oh yes, he could hear me, but to date I still haven’t got that new car.


Today, it is a fact that our churches suffer from “Lip worship”, “mouth praise” and “minimal effort” service to the living God. It is impossible these days to keep a congregation of believers interested past 3 songs in the praise and worship portion of the service. Past that and our backsides seem to grow magnets attracted to the back of the pew. It is impossible for our preachers to minister past the 12:00 o’clock mark, or our eyes begin to wander, and the king of our intestinal fortitude, (better known to the general public as our stomachs) begin to cry aloud at the sacrilege committed at hindering us getting to the nearest McDonalds on time.

Oh God, forgive us for losing the passion that was in Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. Her cries to move God to open a dead womb went past lip praise and mouth worship. She pushed back the plate of food, cried tears till her tear ducts were dry, talked to God till no more words could be formed and only her mouth quivered under the power of a heart that was pouring out to God with everything it had in it.

Would to God we could regain the passion to call on him with everything we have in us. Just like the widow woman that lost all her money in her house. She swept and searched, cleaned and moved everything over and over and would not stop till she found it. With a burning fever of desire, she tore that house apart looking for those coins, until at last she found them.

It is a proven fact that we today have lost this cry, this burning desire that wakes God up and moves him to answer:

· Suicide rates are at an all time high in history
· The murder of babies in the name of abortion are at an all time high in history
· Hospitals are running out of space to house the sick, terminally ill, and drug or alcohol addicted souls


All while the “church” carries on with our powerless worship, skin deep spirituality and nonexistent presence in our services while proclaiming; “we are rich and increased with goods, we have need of nothing”. Beloved, I give you a word from the lord today; THUS SAITH THE LORD- I TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE MISERABLE, AND WRETCHED, AND POOR AND BLIND AND NAKED (Revelation 3:17).

It is not how many times you go to church, how many good things you do thru the week, or how long you have been saved that moves the heart of God to hear and answer your call. It is not how “squeaky clean” your track record is, and how good you have ran your “life race” that forces God to rush in and save the burning building that is your life. NO! I tell you a thousand times no! no matter what some preacher, or even your pastor, has told you.

It is a cry, that begins after all your strength , all your pretty and intelligent words are gone. After all the tears are shed, till no more can fall down your cheeks. It is a cry that causes food to no longer be a priority. It is a cry that transforms you! It turns you into a madman, a different person if you will.

This cry causes you to become so thirsty for God and his presence, you look like a wild deer running at top speed thru the woods looking for that stream of water you haven’t seen in days, knowing without it you will die. You turn into that woman mentioned in the Bible with the blood disease. No longer did she care how she looked in public or that she had to push thru the crowds on her hands and knees, just as long as she got to Jesus. This cry will turn you into that woman, because you will know in him, with one touch, will come life giving, sin forgiving, devil stomping, prayer answering, miracle working power. And let’s not forget the greatest benefit. With this cry comes Jesus, God in flesh, into your life! The very one who created the universe, framed the worlds, and made you, into your very life! The one who died for you. The one that says; “I love you, more than any mother, father, or spouse could ever love you”. Jesus! Glory to his wonderful name!

Dear saint, does this cry burn within you? Does it drive you to say, “I can’t live till I find him, I can’t breathe until I am once again in his arms!”. Is there a cry within you that causes everything, in the world, to lose its allure and charm. And the only thing that burns within you is a desire to have Jesus and be in his presence, because you know the only real peace and joy is there.

Child of God, we are near the end of all things. Satan is to be given freedom to ruin, persecute and destroy like never before. The antichrist is soon to take control of the earth. And the time of Jacob’s trouble (better known as the great tribulation) is just around the corner. And no matter what some big time preacher, Evangelist or Pastor has told you- YOU WILL BE HERE THRU PART OF THIS TRIBULATION. There is no such “early rapture” escape to get out early before it gets bad. You must be prepared.

And only those who are crying this heart cry- this “Hannah cry”- and possess this burning for Jesus- this “widow woman fever”, will have the strength to stand. Only those with this cry will have the ability to not be deceived by the Antichrist. They will have the power to resist his eternal damning mark, resist his temptations, and boldly proclaim; “I will not let go of the lover of my soul, I will not divorce my Jesus, only to follow you to eternal Hell to burn forever, I will love him till the end”.

Precious one reading this, there is still time:


1. The Door is still open to the throne of God thru Christ

2. There is still a chance to call on Jesus and have him hear and answer

3. There is still time to call on him while he is near, before the door is shut forever


Run to him now! Ask him to place this cry within you, now. Ask him to put this burning desire in you, now. You cannot generate this in your power and strength, but if you will call on Jesus, he will put this cry within you, this burning for him inside if you will just ask. Remember his promise to us; “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for the SHALL be filled”. Get a hold of this cry, it will save your life, in the coming storm.