It is time to seriously get ready!

Pastor Pat O'Rourke

There is a proverb that says, “The prudent man foresees the evil and hides himself but the simple pass on and are punished.” (Proverbs 22:3) Today there are two spirits that are pressing against people on the earth. One is the spirit of fear and the other is the spirit of faith. I don’t see any middle ground. People are literally being taken over by one or the other. In this article, I will show you how to get involved with faith. So, instead of fearing what is coming on the world, you will look forward to the days ahead with anticipation of God’s love and provision for you. 1. You must have authority in your life and you must use it. The Bible tells us all authority comes from God and is delegated to people by Him. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both money and God.” A huge part of the problem is people have put their trust in money, even worshipped and made a god of it. False gods will always fail under pressure and today this is exactly what is happening. The money systems of the world are breaking down. The people are panicking and giving into fear. Very soon it is going to get worse. So, you must make a decision. Stop worshiping money and start worshiping the true and living God. He is a loving, Heavenly Father and is able to take good care of you. 2. You must establish your authority. There are no short cuts to gaining authority. If you want it you must get it the Biblical way. The Biblical way is, “if you want authority you must live under authority.” (Matthew 8:9) I am a pastor and within the spiritual boundaries at my church I exercise pastoral authority. But the only way I can do that is to live under authority myself. So I live under the authority of pastors and elders. They assume the responsibility to watch over me spiritually as I watch over my church spiritually. Because I live this way, I can pray with certainty and with the knowledge that God will care for my household and my church. This is not to say I don’t miss it sometimes, make mistakes or sin. I have many struggles in my own life yet I have never seen God fail me. Many people use the excuse, “Oh, I’ve been hurt by the church, or the church just wants my money.” I will be the first to admit that probably all churches have made many a mistake. Yet God in his wisdom had committed his authority to his church. The forces that cause evil in the world are now growing exponentially day by day. Before long I predict you will have to stand at the borders and entrances to your property and take authority over evil. Before it literally comes into your house and takes over. To do this you must have the real thing. You must have authority. Many of you who are reading these words made a deal with God at some point in your life. Perhaps when you were in deep trouble or when you were young. Perhaps you even gave your heart to God yet took it back. You need to return to the Lord before it is too late. You will find Him waiting with open arms to take you back into his care. See Luke 15:20. May I suggest, you clip this article out and file it away for future reference even if you don’t agree with it? Let me remind you there is an authority that comes from money but that authority is dwindling day by day. Soon it will be gone. What then? Even a child can see the so-called experts and economists in Washington and elsewhere are at a loss. They have no clue as to what to do, except keep printing and borrowing money. They are trying to make money out of nothing. Let’s face the truth squarely folks. The almighty dollar just isn’t worth worshipping any more. It has had its day and it is time to switch to a new system. It is time to seriously get ready. 3. The tithe. You cannot get seriously ready for what lies ahead without seriously considering the tithe. Biblical tithing means setting aside the first 10 per cent of your increase or 10 per cent of your income. If you earn $2,500 per month, you give $250. But where do you give it? This, too, is clear in the scripture. You tithe to the store house where you are being fed, your local church. This is a command of God, given with warning that to disobey, means financial disaster. “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say how have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in my house and prove me now herewith says the Lord of Hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before its time in the field, says the Lord of Hosts.” Why is the entire world in an economic collapse? It is a complex issue and there are no simple answers. Here is the main reason we live in a world that has drifted away from the Lord. Many, many people who even consider themselves to be Christians do not practice scriptural tithing. They simply spend everything on themselves. This has produced a curse upon our nations just like Malachi said. Here is an interesting fact. Everyone does tithe. They just don’t tithe to the Lord. Some tithe to VLTs, and some tithe to alcohol. Some tithe to the stock market and the list goes on. What you are tithing to today, is going to be your source tomorrow. I think you get my point. It’s time to get back to God. He is a loving, heavenly Father who wants to bless and care for his children. Yet He, like any good father, has requirements and he is strict. As a pastor, I don’t want your money, unless God clearly shows you to give it to my church. Nor does God want or need your money. After all, he owns it all! The real need is, you need to give it so God can bless you. It’s time to seriously get ready.