End Time Survival Strategies – Part 2

2 Timothy 3:1 NKJV
(1)  But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

We are in the final conflict of the ages. Good versus evil is about to climax in the fiercest battle in history in the valley of Armageddon. Before Jesus takes His bride home in the rapture and the Tribulation officially starts, we will see the birth pangs. The earth is already moaning and awaiting redemption. We can read Matthew 24 and then look at a newspaper and scarcely tell the difference. My friend, you need strength to survive these final few years before Jesus’ return!

Keep Your Eyes on Eternity

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV
(16)  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
(17)  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
(18)  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

We are to keep our eyes on eternity. This life isn’t all there is – we have eternity to spend in the presence of Jesus. This present age is temporal or subject to change. The world system with all its vile filth and greed is going to pass away. Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
(19)  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
(20)  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
(21)  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Don’t spend your time and energy on things that aren’t eternal. Set your eyes on things above and keep your focus there. While you are going through these ‘light afflictions’, keeping your mind of eternal things gives you the strength to endure. Jesus is the prize at the end of the race – stay focused on Him!

Be Vigilant

1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV
(8)  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
(9)  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

What is the number one sin while standing guard duty? Sleeping on the job! As soldiers we have to be vigilant and on the alert. Don’t wait for your child to come home with marijuana or worse – stand guard over your family now! Pray over your children now out loud where they can hear you. Let them see you reading and praying. Model what a godly person is for your children. And this vigilance is not just for your children – pray now for your pastor, your church, your marriage, your finances, your health before any attacks happen.

It’s easier to defend your position when the enemy is outside the perimeter! Don’t let Satan break through! Be sober and alert and stop those demonic attacks before they break through your perimeter.

Know Your Weapons

Ephesians 6:17 ESV
(17)  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Hebrews 4:12 ESV
(12)  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

How do you become one with your weapon? In boot camp, you are issued an M-16 and you memorize the serial number. You learn every little nut and bolt. You learn to care for it, clean it, strip it and guard it with your life because some day in battle – all that will stand between you and the enemy is your weapon. I am telling you friend, you must have the Word of God inside you in greater measure than any Marine ever loved his M-16. You must live it, love it, read it, sleep on it, meditate on it, memorize it and speak it out of your mouth. It must be the first book you reach for in the morning and the last thing you read at night.

You cannot survive in these perilous times without your weapon. It’s not enough to have 10 bibles on the shelf – I’d rather you had one bible in your heart. When all hell begins to break loose around you, you won’t have to time to go off and hunt for your weapon, dust it off and try and find something that applies to your situation. No my friend, you must have the Word hid in your heart, stored up in your soul. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness what did Jesus use to rebuke the devil? Every single time He quoted Scriptures. When the devil tries to show you the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated, the verse from proverbs should spring up – “Delight thyself in the wife of thy youth.” When the devil offers you cheesecake on the first day of your diet – “Man shall not live by bread alone.”

Keep your weapon loaded, clean and handy. When the devil tries to attack you – shoot at will!