JESUS ~ Our Spiritual Escape Plan ~ Broadcast Transcript from July 12, 2020

FEAR = Facing Every Anxiety Renewed ~ Be anxious for nothing…. NOTHING!  No exceptions.

Jesus tells us to “fear not little flock” and told the disciples when they were scared “they had little faith” His perfect LOVE casts all fear coming at us today or will come tomorrow away from us and places a hedge of protection around us in which anything which tries to cause us harm cannot penetrate – like a wall of fire – unless of course He allows it.  As a matter of fact He is the gatekeeper into all our lives that everything must pass through, so take a breath, breathe…  Release and let go so you don’t wear yourself out fearing and be anxious about all that is happening or will happen on Earth.

Fear makes us do some really weird things doesn’t it?  It makes us think off the wall things, assume, react inappropriately, be suspicious, paranoid, shaken – not sober, controlling, restless, nervous, uneasy, feel rejected, hopeless, lie, steal, get angry and offended, off balance and obsessive – just to name a few.

FEAR makes us feel, think and believe we have the weight of the World upon our shoulders and that if we don’t react someone or something is going to fall completely apart.  FEAR is the opposite of FAITH because when we are coming from a place of fear – we are actually denying the Sovereignty of the Father.  And none of us want to do that, do we?

To no fault of our own, most if not all of us, were abandoned, abused and neglected before the age of accountability and therefore have no placement on what it even looks like to be nurtured and protected by those appointed to do so when we were most vulnerable and weak, which carries over way into adulthood.  It seems we are just now being pressed into corners in which our Father can demonstrate His sovereignty in our lives on a more personal level and slowly, bit by bit we are learning to lean upon and trust Him in ways we haven’t before.  This is a divine setup in a divinely orchestrated perfect storm. 

So I have a message for you if this hits home for you…  THE LORD ALWAYS MAKES A WAY OF ESCAPE.  As a matter of fact, He is the way of escape as we abide in Him.  Do you remember when Lot was told to escape from Sodom & Gomorrah and how that is even mentioned again in the New Testament referring to the days in which we live?  If we are constantly looking back, we are constantly not trusting the Lord for our todays and tomorrows.  The past really is the past.  The past will not define our tomorrows unless we cling to it in place of clinging to our hope found in Jesus.

I must confess something, when I began to study about fear it was because when I was visiting my brother in Dallas recently for my birthday ANGER was so thick in and around people it was somewhat suffocating.  Like a stronghold had a grip on people unlike any other time I had visited and it was everywhere we went and sometimes influencing those close to me.  Jesus showed me it was due to fear, fear of seeing what was wrong and not having a way to remedy the cause, so anger bubbled up and out as the only reaction to the frustration they felt.  While away Jesus told me all the causes which perpetrate fear were under my feet like waves and I am to rise above them – that coronavirus, finances, family problems and worry and such were UNDER MY FEET and to keep my eyes fixated on Jesus, walk towards Him and do not look down at the problems (waves) and ever since I have to tell you I am doing so much better, so I pray you take this to heart and apply in your own lives as well.

Like I said fear makes you do just wacky things…  Take Abraham and Isaac for example – they both were overtaken with fear, as recorded in Genesis 20 & 26 to the point both father and son told those they feared would hurt their wives that they were their sisters, not married to them as a husband.  How silly is that?  Fear is also why Paul tells us we can handle a serpent, get bit and not die or drink a deadly poison and live to give God glory for it.  He was trying to instill within us just who holds the keys to life and death – to what is permissible and not permissible in our lives and that we can make plans, but the Lord orchestrates our steps.  It is my prayer this removes a huge burden from upon us all today.

So with that – let’s get started, I am very excited to share what I learned with you all in my study time in Luke 21, which is a very familiar passage to most of us!

Luke 21 is very special because it is where Jesus is talking and it is a very timely word because it speaks directly to those who are inhabitants on Earth during the days/season before He returns.  It is speaking directly to us, yay!

• It lays the signs out and the groundwork of what events will be unfolding just prior to that day
• He speaks of one preparation to take very seriously, which is the preparation of our soul
• He did not give directives for fleshly comforts or provisions, but actually spoke to the contrary reminding us to store our treasures up in Heaven so they are not destroyed, warning us to not store up treasures on Earth
• He told us to watch and wait as a common theme in this chapter of the Bible so that day doesn’t come upon us unexpectedly as a thief in the night who breaks into our homes, catching us asleep and unaware
• He tells us one key sign is that Jerusalem is being trampled and that it is then we look up because our own redemption draws nigh. — Now I realize this may not be very popular, but that already happened, that temple was destroyed many, many years ago so this sign has already been established – Currently, WE are the Temple built without walls in which Jesus abides in.  When that Temple was destroyed and the veil was torn what followed that event was a line was drawn and a command was given for us to watch and pray to be worthy to stand before Him when He comes again and to escape all things coming upon the Earth.  Real quick – Just to confirm, the disciples knew this sign had occurred which is why they thought He was coming back in the clouds for them at any moment.  The season we are currently in is one of waiting and watching and praying, but we will talk more about that in a moment.
• So now, as His Temple, we in which He abides as He rules and reigns in our hearts is truly something the enemy wants to keep us blinded too in order to keep us submissive to fear in this World.  If he can keep us bound and occupied in this World, he knows he will wear out the Saints of the Most High God.  He does this to rule over us because the Earth is His ruling place.

Again, right now, this very moment, the time in which we were purposely born for, this appointed Season the Father fearfully and wonderfully formed you, divinely designed the day you would enter into this World purposed and predestined to be His light was fully commanded and overseen by His hands – so of course, He would not do all that creating only to abandon us when we arrive.  To reiterate we are in a SEASON of existing while WATCHING for the next SEASON in which Jesus comes just as He departed in the clouds.  We are also waiting for Heaven and Earth to pass away, giving birth to a new Heaven and Earth.  And remember, just because the old passes away – HIS WORDS DO NOT, THEY REMAIN.  And so this too can be applied to our own lives.  Whatever was spoken into us during our formation – shall come to manifest, the flesh may pass away – but His word in you and me shall remain.

Regarding death, so many fear it very much and will go to extreme to prolong it in themselves and those they love.  I have to ask you a question – Did you have any bearing on when you were born?  The time, day or hour?  Well of course you didn’t…  So, the same is true with leaving this World as entering it – the day and hour was already established and appointed before we even arrived.  Knowing this truth should remove some weights we carry off of us, whether they be our own or someone’s we love.

I feel like we have so much to go over, we may not get this finished up in one broadcast, so we better keep moving along.  Again, we are in Luke 21.

• Jesus warns us to not let our hearts get weighed down with the cares (distractions, excess, concerns) of this life, which leads to drunkenness by the over saturation of it into our souls and distract us so much we will be pre-occupied with this life and miss the truth His return is eminent.
• One reason the enemy wants us distracted with the cares of this life we live, is so that we get hopeless at times or even some are all the time.  Seeing signs of Jesus’s return elevates our expectancy and ushers hope into our souls, because we are Spiritual beings.  Just as the Word says, Summer is near we look forward to it in the Winter, the Bible tells us to look for Jesus to return with the same delight because this world can be so cold and harsh.
• He tells us during this season we will be persecuted, misunderstood, rejected, mocked, scoffed, not received and to not personally get offended by those who do so – He compares these things which come against us to “leaves tendering to bud on a fig tree” which equals you and I producing fruit.  So this reminds us the fruit of the Harvest is almost ready to be gathered into the Kingdom. You are budding!
• Remember – nothing can stop Jesus’s return or how He will do so or when. Only the Father knows the day and hour – not even the Son.
• Jesus tells us to watch for His Word to perform each and every day, because it is the only thing which will remain.  Everything else shall pass away but HIS WORD.  It is by His Word we are saved, kept, given life, created, comforted, granted peace, brought joy, established in faith – as His Word goes out to perform, His will on Earth is established just as it is in Heaven within us.
• Have you noticed the world is full of people who believe He is coming soon and yet, they do not alter the course of their lives at all to prepare the way for His arrival?  Even non-believers are asking me if Jesus is coming and yet… they profess He doesn’t exist, it’s so twisted.
• There is a particular generation which will not pass away until all final signs are fulfilled.  The question is – Can we know this generation?  I say, yes, we most certainly can and do.  Before the Temple was torn down, that race of people was a generation (kind) of humans – they did not have the Lord indwelling within them.  Now, we are “different” aren’t we than them.  We now are the Temple in which the Lord abides through the Holy Spirit.  And the season to come brings a whole new generation of people and a new season.  So right now, we, the human race are in the particular seasonal generation of those who await His return – just like the disciples of old who wrote the New Testament were.  When we consider the “budding of the fig tree” it was destruction of the old which budded the tree as the Gentiles were grafted into the branch.  It is so important we get out of fleshly mindsets and not look for what already was, but read the Word spiritually or we are gonna miss it completely.  Generations are seasonal… We are that collective group of people who will not pass away until He comes again.
• Luke 21 speaks of those who’s hearts will fail them in fear for looking after (tending to) the things which are coming upon the Earth.  To look after something means to expectantly wait for it to come to pass in hope or fear, depending on which side you are on.  Hearts failing does not mean in spiritual terms what it means in human’s terms.  It actually means to show reverence like when the Word says – there is no fear of God in the land – it means adoration, honor and worship.  Jesus reprimanded the disciples for fearing Him, thinking He was a ghost while walking on water in Mathew 14:26 – same concept.  So at His appearing man will revere Him in ways now they do not.  But remember, blessed are those who believe without seeing.
• When Jesus comes again, those who remain when He does appear will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, again whoever is here at that event will have a seasonal generation transition because their human condition will forever be changed – we don’t know what we will be, only that we will be like Him, should He come while we are still here.
• The best way I know to explain this is that we are in sort of a seasonal time gap – like a holding pattern – let’s call it “what is.”  What was old passed away, what is to come shall be and is new.  Jesus was, is and is to come… again His word shall remain.
• So we have ONE GENERATION/season – made up of many witnesses – some sleep and some remain on Earth but all are of the same appointed time.  Those that sleep rise first, those who remain on Earth are caught up together as ONE to meet Jesus in the clouds.  This tribe of people – this generation are – watching, waiting, praying to be found worthy to stand before Him, when He comes.  Why?  Because those who are not in His will shall be consumed by the brightness of His coming, remember He comes as a consuming fire to burn up all that which is not Heavenly appointed.

I know this is a lot – let’s take a moment for all that to sink in.  God’s word is so very simple and easy to understand.  The problem is man has overcomplicated and confused our minds with so much we must break through those barriers to actually receive and hear the simplicity of the Word.  Due to this mind overload and confusion we will often end up on a wild goose chase leading us to nowhere.  There is only one way to guard against that happening which is to read the Bible for ourselves, study to show ourselves approved to just the Lord, no one else needs to approve of us, just Him.

Okay, moving on…

• The fig tree is quite simple and used to simply display an appointed season.  Just like an apple tree does not produce apples in January the Lord wants us to understand when we start to become fruitful, we are close to being harvested. 
• Jesus often spoke in parables to simplify the word for His own and confound the religious folk.  Parables are not to complicate things, but reveal a demonstration – it is the enemy that brings confusion and yet spiritually so easy entreated.
• We must always read the Word and forget all we were told prior to being drawn to the Bible – the Bible is a message directly from the Lord to us, not to be added to, replaced or taken away from.  When feasting on His Word it will perform a mighty work within us and in the World through us.
• Jesus gives clear instruction in Luke 21 for us to adhere to His Word, we studied recently the importance of laying His Word to heart and to follow it as a command or protocol to living a peaceful life.  We are reminded in this Chapter to WATCH OURSELVES in order are hearts are not weighed down by anything coming upon or already upon this Earth.  Anything in our lives which weigh us down like – a virus, riots, signs in the sky, finances, saving our own lives, rumors of wars, death, soul catching can all be forms of spiritual distractions, becoming heavy burdens affecting or wellbeing.  (colitis, masks…)
• There’s a couple of them I want to go over today, which seem extremely relevant and sucking the life out of many of us, or attempting to do so anyway.
• First One is:  Escaping thoughts of this life, isolation, drunkenness of signs, pet sins of comfort, gatherings to numb what is going on, even conferences can be a way of escape for many.  All forms of entertainment such as:  shopping, drugs, sex, self-medicating to soothe, sleep, money, chatrooms, news, etc…  I’ll admit life is heavy at times, we’ve been hurt and betrayed by those we love the most which prompts us to want to do something to ease that void of pain and loneliness.  We get so desperate sometimes, looking for something or someone to take our minds off the pain so we will fill that void with pleasures not so obvious that are still Worldly to a degree.  Every single human on Earth was born with a purposed void in their hearts that only Jesus can fill.  Any other form of soothing, except from Him will be fleeting, only to perpetuate the problem until we truly do have a difficult time managing it and overcoming it.  It resembles putting a bandaid on a gaping wound, when Jesus will heal it in its entirety, slowing and methodically cultivating intimacy with Him in the process.  Again, He always makes a way of escape – but often we want a quick fix, rather than a testimony to share of His goodness.
• The Second One we are to watch ourselves about is:  To be bowed down to the pities and cares of this life.  When we do this we actually carry a burden the Lord did not assign for us to carry.  Notice it says “bowed down” meaning sorrowful and wanting to be pitied.  Some examples of this one are:  Overly concerned about paths others are on, choices they are making while trying to control and author someone’s faith, we may try to mend others back together that we didn’t break or display an obsessive protection over others, hovering over loved ones trying to extend their life believing we can control when God takes them Home.  This group of people are often only happy when misery is present.  They may be happy when someone is listening to their complaints or problems, often cleaving to sickness to fill a void of neediness, by the same token we will place ourselves as savior in someone’s life by trying to rescue them or prevent them from falling to their knees in repentance – if they call upon us we feel needed so we prefer they go through us to get to Jesus rather than directly to Him.
• Now – we are to rejoicing in our sufferings because God uses them to form us into the Image of His Son Jesus.  We do not exalt the sufferings, but rather are delivered from them so that Jesus is exalted – there’s a big difference, you all see it?  When we exalt suffering, Jesus isn’t being exalted, we are.
• One last thing we do that we shouldn’t is – When someone is remorseful in heartfelt repentance, a requirement to going and sinning no more – we will interfere with the Lord’s work and tell them what they did is okay.  I see this almost every single day and it is fleshly.  Even the woman caught in adultery was not granted such words – Jesus said where are your accusers?  He didn’t tell her adultery was okay, He actually said go and sin no more.  Sin brings pain into our lives, sometimes we need to feel the pain to actually stop the action which caused it.  Again, a void in us to be needed, will often prompt us to act in timing not ordained by the Holy Spirit.  It is not we should not comfort – but it needs to be in the Lord’s timing, not our own.
• These few areas I described weigh us down when we practice flesh ways while trying to walk in the Kingdom.  The reason Jesus warns of this is because if we let the cares of this life become our sole purpose or worse yet the main focal point of our lives, instead of Him defining us – trials will and that day of His return will come upon us suddenly and like a thief because we were not watching and praying. 
• All these distractions which are fleshly and Worldly take our eyes off of Jesus and His perfect Sovereignty to weigh us down so much we want to do something and when nothing we try works we will question Him, which leads to denying Him and eventually cursing Him.  In this turmoil, we neglect and miss the actual good He is doing and bringing about in this present age and season in the lives of so many.  He does have a purposed plan to work all things together for everyone’s good.  Have faith He shall tie all things together and Spiritually prosper all who are His.  We just need to get out of His way sometimes, let God be God, knowing we are not.  Remember His number one goal is to bring all His children Home and though we desire that as well, He desires it even more and will see to it, it is accomplished His way!
•  He also tells us to watch ourselves so we do not become Spiritually drowsy.  In other words, above all things be prepared Spiritually for His return so that when He appears – daily or in the clouds, it is a blessing and not a curse because on that day for some it will be terrible but for His own it will be magnificent.  When we are awake – we are looking for Him all the time as our redemption draws nigh – look up and pray for strength.  Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus asked the disciples to stay awake and pray with Him but they couldn’t do it?  They all fell asleep.  In the same manner our souls can fall asleep, rather than staying alert – and this has nothing to do with preparing in the natural by the way for a disaster.  Preparing for Jesus’s return and preparing for destruction do no resemble one another at all.
• I just love how encouraging this Scripture is, don’t you?  It is like an invitation to take a load off, hand those worries over to the Lord and seek Him, trusting Him to accomplish His will so we don’t run around becoming ragged.  It is Jesus saying – I got this, just sit down and pray with Me, relax in my arms.  Put the mop down Martha, note to self. lol

We have so much more to go over in Luke 21 – and we haven’t even made it to the contentious part where we talk about “escaping” all things coming upon the Earth.  But I think this is really a good stopping point for this week.  Next week will pick up right where we left off and by the Word of Jesus Himself go over the rest of Luke 21. 

Jesus said to watch (stay awake), pray always (seek and talk to Him 24-7) so you are accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of Man.

As we take time to ponder everything Jesus said and listen to His still small voice which leads us and guides us – we shut out the noisy opinions of man who God will place into great derision.  As a little child we come to Him, trusting Him to see us all the way through.

As I was contemplating many things – I was thinking about Sodom and Gomorrah and how Lot was not ashamed to take the escape offered and flee – so I began to wonder why we have let our own flesh rule over us in such severe ways we will do anything and everything to protect, serve and save it?  I even hear prideful people lifting themselves up, like it is a badge of honor to remain and fight… Forgive them Lord, they know not what they are saying and wishing for on that day as their faces will gather darkness unto themselves.  If you remember, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt – a stone statue.  I was wondering why exactly she looked back?  Did she love what was in that city?  Was she wanting to fight for it?  Maybe she had loved ones still caught up in the pleasures of sin who remained?  Only God knows for sure, but what He showed me is her heart had turned to stone and when we are one with something above Him in this World, we are hesitant to leave it with Him.  It is my prayer that is none of us and that we persistently follow His directives as we wait in hope for His soon returning! 

Lot escaped because he was obedient to follow the command given by the Lord, his wife refused – still looking at that place.  And although this scenario manifested in the natural, the reason such choices were made were internal in the heart.  We are in this World not of it, the church of today still has much of the World in it so it is understandable why judgment starts in God’s house.  But it is possible we can escape that portion coming, by abiding in Jesus, fully surrendered to Him.

There is a crown of righteousness reserved for all those who love His appearing.  To love something like that is to long for it, look forward to it, hope and wait for it.  There is no shame in this, none at all.  When you really love someone and are separated from them you expectantly await their return.  Like with all things it is a matter of the heart.  A heart captivated by Jesus longs for His return every moment of every day more than anything else.

Last words, man has influenced us and if they hadn’t done so, I could have read that verse to you as dear children and you would receive it as such, as a promise and a hope to keep you going forward on your journey with Jesus.  So next week we are going to do some Spiritual housecleaning in or minds and hearts so we too will rejoice fully not only at His appearing but even the mention of it.

I just want to thank you all for joining me today on this ROF Ministry Broadcast.  I pray it blessed you in some small way, stirring a desire within to seek Jesus and His words, His take on what is transpiring in the World and how we are to react and occupy until He returns.

Those of you who walk hand in hand with me in this ministry I want you to know I thank Jesus for the blessing of you continually.  Please continue to lift up all the prison inmates in prayer, they surely need it and they appreciate your support and encouragement so very much.

Until next time I thank the Lord for watching over each of you – guiding and protecting you every moment of every day.