It's Time : Pastor Tony Samuels
Making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:16-17
I will open up this message by going straight to the point: Jesus is coming back very soon. This is not a religious cliché; this is reality. As you look at the current alignment of the nations, we are seeing right before our eyes the unfolding of Bible prophecy. Today, I come as a watchman to warn, exhort, correct, and encourage you in your walk with the Lord. It’s time to make our walk with the Lord our number priority in lifem, because when He returns, nothing else will matter. Ephesians 5:14-15 (AMP) says, For this reason He says,“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.” Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people]… The Lighthouse Freedom Center is a House of God, and we are so glad you are here, but we that call on the Name of the Lord are being called to a higher standard.
Look at 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (AMP): Now in a large house there are not only vessels and objects of gold and silver, but also vessels and objects of wood and of earthenware, and some are for honorable (noble, good) use and some for dishonorable (ignoble, common). Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified set apart for a special purpose and, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. We have a responsibility before God to cleanse ourselves from things that displease the Lord. Then, we will be set apart for a special use. We are called to be used by God. If we are not being used, that means there is something in our life that is hindering and keeping us out of the place where the Lord can use us. This is not the time to be on the sidelines; this is the time to get in the game, because we are in the final quarter in this dispensation of grace.
I am finding out that people don’t really value their relationship with the Lord. Look at Ephesians 5:5 (AMP): For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is [in effect] an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God [for such a person places a higher value on something other than God]. When you value something, it’s a priority. When you value something, you spend time with it. When you value something, you take care of it. It’s time to value our relationship with the Lord.
Many times we reduce faith down to just obtaining things from God, but true faith is displayed in our obedience to God. Hebrews 11:8 (AMP) says, By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went, not knowing where he was going. The level of your obedience to God is a reflection of your level of faith in God. You don’t obey someone you don’t believe in. I am concerned because if we can’t obey the Lord when everything is well, what will happen when adversity shows up or persecution?
Look at 1 Corinthians 3:13 (AMP): …each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work. Your level of consecration and dedication to the Lord is the determining factor of the quality of your faith. When the fire comes, only what is of the highest quality will remain. God is a God of truth, and how you respond to His truth will determine how far you go in your relationship with the Lord. John 8:31-32 (TPT) says, Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “When you continue to embrace all that I teach, you prove that you are my true followers. For if you embrace the truth, it will release true freedom into your lives.”
I am shocked that this type of message is very unpopular in a lot of the churches today. People are content with living lukewarm Christian lives, and they don’t want anything to come and confront it. But the Bible told us this would happen in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (AMP): For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable]. I feel strongly that I am accountable to the Lord to speak truth, and I pray that you will make necessary adjustments to align your life with the Word of God and what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to you. We want you to become all that God has called you to be! IT’S TIME!!!
