One of the dangers of the End Times is hearing so much and understanding so little. Even the church fails to discern the meaning of End Time events because they have heard it so much and so often, it has lost its impact. We can’t become desensitized to End Times events!
We are bombarded every day with information from every direction. For me, that information can be a distraction, even when it concerns the administration of our world-wide television ministry. Sometimes, a constant flow of information is just a distraction from the greater thing. We cannot allow administration or any other thing to distract us from the main thing.
So much information, so many words coming at us from everywhere; our televisions, smart phones, iPads, and even our proximity to others is constantly feeding us information. I know that the plan of the enemy includes distractions and confusion caused by so much ‘noise’ that it makes it hard to hear the important things!
Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if, after we have studied, talked about, and generally saturated ourselves with information about the End Times, that we become so busy, busy, busy in our thoughts and activities that we miss the voice of the Lord instructing us in every move we make?
In all this information (knowledge), the greatest thing we must be listening for is the voice of our Lord!
This is a critical time. Any time after this, we will have done all we could do and our time is over. Then the seals will open and the trumpets will blow and nothing we do or say will affect anything when that begins.
I’m struck with a sense of profoundness for this very small window of time. God uses vessels like us to discern and alert and inform. We cannot ere in discerning the Times – and after we discern, we must alert and inform others. These are truly the days we were born for… for this, the grand finale.
We have a supreme challenge in the days we live in to not only discern the Times, but to find the time to be still before the Lord in order to hear His voice.
I learned about distractions years ago when I was trying to spend quality time with the Lord and a honey bee began buzzing around me. I heard the Lord say, “even the buzzing bee distracts you!”
Even when life demands our time and attention, we must find the time to spend alone so that God can speak to us. That’s why I often get up in the middle of the night and sit quietly before the Lord. That’s the only time I can be without distractions!
Only after we have “been with Jesus” can we hear Him and His instructions for these amazing final days.
Love,
Jim
Brother Jim. I caught your appearance on Table talk with Joni Lamb, and was moved by how much you, have discerned concerning the times. The understanding that the rapture does not happen until sometime late in the tribulation period, near the end, is a testimony to how much you allowed His spirit to reveal to you. Much confusion has arisen because of misconceptions concerning John’s vision. Visions and dreams are not tied to linear time, as many have sought do with John’s vision.
Then there is the mystery of the two witnesses, that many have not understood. Scripture follows the pattern that it witnesses to itself. For any truth in scripture must appear somewhere else in scripture as witness to the truth of the scripture. Yet many have not discerned the scripture which witnesses to the scripture of the two witnesses. Like all mysteries in the bible, they must be spiritually discerned to be understood.
You may have discerned this already, and I maybe just repeating something you already know. I have not had the privilege of reading your book. So I do know if this is included already there.
The truth is revealed in our Lords description of the two witnesses found in Rev. 11:4. He uses this same description earlier in Revelation. He calls them Olive trees and Lamp stands. He uses both of these descriptions so that no one will mistake the analogy. In Hebrew faith the Lamp stand represents the menorah. A lamp having multiple lighted branches connected to one body. The same is true of the Olive tree. Many branches connected to a central root. Paul alludes to this also towards the end of Romans 11.
I love the symmetry which typifies the hand of GOD. Revelation 11 and Romans 11 are connected and reveal a mystery.
I appreciate your “Watchman” stand and your sounding the alarm when you hear it and God tells you: time to share it! Distractions are becoming more and more an imminent danger. I literally weep as I just learned this past week that a “grounded” church in our area has disbanded their mid-week boys & girls ministries due to lack of participation. The biggest reason parents gave was that various mid-week sports practices are more important for the games on Sunday that their children play!
Your blog addresses the “noises” of distractions… “White Noise”…. noises we can not even hear unless “we have ears to hear”. I love the insights your blog bring me. They continue to sand down the rough spots that can cause snags in my life! I want to be smooth, although the sanding on me is not comfortable!!!
A few shows back you were sharing the “distractions of life” and Lori hit it on the head calling it “nothing but: “Chatter”. I love that and thank you for this “blog message” to keep us on our toes and to be aware of the distractions that come in a gazillion of ways! These distractions only distract us from the Lords highest for us and the shield of faith is not up where it should be to protect and all to soon the distractions will become a fiery dart “dipped in the distractions” that will pierce to steal, kill and destroy! I know the message speaks to me clearly I need to “de-distract” even more in my life to sit even longer at the feet of the Lord and just Listen. Listen to His Peace or Listen to His direction! God is so good, He’s good… thank you for sharing continually His Goodness & Warnings!
Bouquets of Blessings from California,
Kathlene
Great lesson:
“I know that the plan of the enemy includes distractions and confusion caused by so much ‘noise’ that it makes it hard to hear the important things!”
The first order of business for an enemy force is to disrupt your lines of communication. If the enemy can do that, your chances of being able to withstand invasion are poor indeed. Satan uses noise to great advantage.
Thank you so much for the reminder!! This is one area I need to truly get better at. Being still and Listening to His voice!
Jim, well said..and thanks for the reminder. It is so easy to be distracted….I remember a few years ago, you said that in the end times there would be a lot of confusion…these are those days. For example, the Boston Marathon incident and now the tornadoes in Oklahoma….in both of these events the press kept contradicting each other….I now listen but do not count it as truth until it is proven to be truth. So many people could be needlessly confused with all this stuff. Many of the things you have talked about in the past on your show have come back to my mind as I read the news or listen to the news. Thank you for educating us in what God says in His Word so that we can be at peace, knowing out heavenly Father is still on the throne. God Bless you and your family and all who work on the show in your ministry. I know you have blessed me with your teaching. MyMy
Jim, You are so right and we must sure to listen when our Lord speaks. I have felt him speak to me lately and it is like he is telling me to teach people how to keep from spreading disease as it is coming and soon. People need to learn to stay home more and especially when they are sick. Do not go shopping or visiting when you don’t feel up to snuff. It is in the early stages of any illness that we are the most contagious. When shopping do not put your hands to your face or mouth until you can wash them first. Your hands have been touching the cart handle and so have the hands of hundreds of other people and the store does not clean them. Please people avoid crowded places and be very careful.
True plus tax!
AMEN N AMEN!! Too much noise is exactly how the enemy keeps our eyes and ears from our Lord!! Everything is meant to desensitize us!!
We MUST keep ourselves ready and alert when it comes to the Lord.I sit on my porch early in the morning and see the newness of the day…the bright greens and the blue sky will just POP when you are quiet and alert.The Lord will speak to my heart during that time.
I pray for all those that have lost so much in that horrible tornado.You have called it already…we are in the END TIMES and we can expect more of the same…and worse.But we are covered by the blood,and we have to keep Him in the forefront….putting on the FULL armour of God!
Blesss you..your family…and your ministry.
Melinda
Thank you.
Jim, you have hit the nail on the head! It was in one of the parables about the sower sowing the seed and the CARES of this world choking out the good seed. Thank you for the reminder my brother. What good does our Christianity do if we do not spend time with our Master.
Thank you for this reminder. This is a good and faithful word that will realign so many and it is so needed. It has gotten harder and harder to claim that alone time with Him. Where your heart is there will your treasure also be. So the call to become even more persistent about Him being our first love goes out! Good good good word! Thank you Jim.Blessing you and yours and so grateful to Him who is so very faithful.
How to designate our time productively (or not so productively)? …the monks of the Catholic Church separated themselves from the daily hassles of “life” to spend time alone with the Lord. The Lord, himself, separated himself from the throngs of people to be alone with His Father. I guess it’s a thing we must do. If not, the Lord can provide us with some “down or alone” time…not of our choosing. Sometimes it’s productive to be an introvert. They tend to have more alone time than the rest of us. I’m rambling! Carry on…
This is what the mission of God is to tell the world of the Lord