During intercession, the Lord continues to give warning for the chaotic times we are about to enter. He says we must make ourselves ready for the pressing times ahead. And interestingly, He is not speaking about physical preparations, but the way He speaks through me to His people is to be ready spiritually for what is coming. Because it is happening, whether we want to heed His warnings or not.
How does He admonish His people to make ready for His return? He tells us to look inward and judge ourselves, and in doing so we will not be chastised by Him. Ephesians 5:26-27 (AMP) says, “So that He might sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [of God], so that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy [set apart for God] and blameless.” Just as a bride makes herself ready for her groom on the day of her wedding, so we prepare ourselves for this great and glorious reunion with our most precious groom: Jesus Christ.
How do we present ourselves to our Lord without spot or wrinkle? By washing the spots, the sin issues in our own lives, with the Word of God. The message of redemption is based upon the all-powerful blood of Jesus. We need to look to ourselves and, in all honesty, repent of any and all wickedness. And what is this wickedness? It is anything going against the ways of our Lord found throughout the Scriptures.
And we need to rid ourselves of the wrinkle. The wrinkle is the old man, the sinful nature that died when we believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. But the flesh wants to resurrect the old man so it continues on in the same old nature. But even though we need to work out our salvation every day, our God always has a better plan. We die to the sinful nature and rise up with a re-created spirit in Christ, where the past sins are forgiven and forgotten and we are given a brand-new beginning, a fresh start in life (see 2 Cor. 5:17).
We are to stay planted in the Word of God, day and night. Joshua 1:8 shows us how to do this: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.”
We pray daily, and often throughout the day. Our prayers, like our time spent in the Word of God, become a lifestyle. And our prayers are not to be vain repetitions (mindless words), but meaningful, even relational with the one true God, Himself. We openly communicate with Him because we remember He promises to never leave us nor forsake us (see Deut. 31:6). So being mindful of His constant presence, we make conversation with Him. We consult Him first in all matters, big or small. We thank Him for all our blessings and acknowledge Him in all of our ways (see Prov. 3:5-6).
And we live our lives as if we truly believe in Him, not compromising our beliefs to satisfy a lost and dying world that cannot begin to understand the ways of the Lord, but allowing our light to shine in such a way that our good works glorify our heavenly Father (see Matt. 5:16). And God uses these good works to draw on the hearts of the people around us to seek until they find what we have—right standing with the living God through the one and only way to salvation—Jesus Christ (see Acts 4:12).
Let’s pray.
Father God, help me to make ready myself and my family for Your soon return. Holy Spirit, reveal to me the areas I need to repent of. Help me not to be afraid of these times but to embrace them with all of my heart, knowing that we are soon to step into the realm of eternal life with You. Help me to develop my relationship with You even deeper. May my love for You grow stronger and stronger each and every day. May I truly step into relationship with You and converse with You as I should. May my understanding of the Word cause me to make the necessary changes needed in my daily walk with you. And I am very thankful that You promise never to leave me, nor to forsake me and especially not during these chaotic times. In the name of Your precious Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. {eoa}
Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the author of DARE to Believe, Greater Than Magic, The Healing Creed and Conquering the Spirit of Death. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.
This article originally appeared at authorbeckydvorak.com.
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