Prepare                                                                                      04-18-14


Isaiah 53:1-7 (NASB) ¹  Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
²  For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
³  He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
⁴  Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
⁵  But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
⁶  All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
⁷  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

I have never been able to figure out why this day is called Good Friday. Yeah, I have read many articles discussing the reasons why, but, the explanations have never pacified me. Not that it matters, it is just a thought I entertain from time to time. That being said, it was an interesting week wasn't it? Anticipation surrounding the Blood Moon and all. Much to our chagrin, up here in Knoxville we didn't get to see it, as it was raining during the whole eclipse. Some more stuff took place further on in the week and I'll touch on that later. At any rate, I celebrated Passover this year on the patio out back; and, that's where God spoke this message to me. I prepared a communion with the Matzah and bought some kosher grape juice. Decided against wine as I had to drive a truck that night at work.(smile) At any rate, during this time the Lord spoke a word or better yet words to me. He said "prepare your heart." Those words played over and over in my mind and heart all night. Well, I went back inside, went to work and so on. All was going along as normal until yesterday when two headlines caught my attention. One was an article sizing up what it called the geopolitical division of the nations of the world; claiming that the backdrop for Ezekiel 38 was in fact lining up just as the Bible said it would. The other, though not as easily substantiated, was much more troubling. It seems someone had the idea to require the Jewish people to "register" with the local authorities in the Ukranian town of Donestk.(?) As I did a double and triple take I said to myself "no way." Now, you can read the account for yourself and draw your own conclusions. Is this a testing of the waters for something very nasty down the road? I don't know but I think it is. But, my point is this. As I read those headlines, those words that God spoke to my heart Monday night took on special significance.

Prepare your heart. Now, I don't want to get off point here but I want to say something you probably already know. The Lord Jesus told us that the events leading up to His return would be like the labor pains that a woman endures. Birthpangs He said. Each one coming a little closer together, and, with increased intensity. Prepare your heart. Brothers and sisters, what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished this weekend some two thousand years ago, isn't about some event or headline half a world away that doesn't directly touch you or me. No, no. The Lord of all creation made this headline up close and personal. Jesus Christ the Lord hung on that cross for YOU and for ME specifically. And I would be remiss if I left unsaid that three days later He came out of that tomb for YOU and ME PERSONALLY! You gettin my drift here aren't you? Prepare your heart.

The Lord God Almighty is standing with arms wide open. All He wants is to spend a little time with you and me. And let me add that He stands there without condemnation. No sin, past, present or future can separate us from His love. That's why Jesus went to the cross isn't it? All we need do is run into His arms and let Him do what He does best. He wants to bless us and deliver us and strengthen us if we will PREPARE OUR HEARTS TO RECEIVE ALL THAT HE HAS. He wants to shield us from the dark days that are on the horizon. But, He won't beg. He won't plead or force Himself upon us. What the Savior of the world suffered this day is enough. He now abides in unapproachable light and glory; and, He's coming back to rule this world with a rod of iron. He's just waiting on us for some one on one. Let those above verses sink way down deep. Prepare your heart.

Psalm 2:11-12 (NASB) ¹¹  Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.
¹²  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

God Bless