Be Watchful and Prayerful | Elder Rosalind Ang

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. Let's go to Luke chapter twenty one, and

we're gonna be reading from verses eight to thirty six. Okay, this is

gonna be the important bit of it, and we don't want to skip anything.

If you have your physical Bible, most of your words are what color,

reg color, rey color? What does it mean ray color? In

your Bible? Jesus speaking. So, guys, Jesus is speaking to you

now, okay, in my voice, but this is what Jesus is saying,

okay, and giving you a little bit of context. This was when

Jesus was walking with his disciples, and at that time they were looking at

the temple. Right at that time, the temple was still in existence.

It's glorious and majestic, beautiful stones and different artifacts was there, and it

was very grand, all right. But Jesus says, well, one day

all this will be gone. So Jesus prophesied what was gonna happen, And

so the disciples was huh, really, it's like, can you imagine going

down to KLCC you know what Chao City is? Yeah, And then suddenly

right, if you're okay with Jesus, you say one day Choccy will be

gone, You're like, huh, when can you tell me? When it's

impossible? Right in our minds, it's like so big, these two three

hours there, how can it be gone? And so what are the signs?

And then this is what Jesus said in verse eight. He says,

okay, let's read together. Okay. And he said, take heed that

you not be deceived. For many will come in my name, saying I

am he, and the time has drawn near. Therefore, do not go

after them. But when you hear all wars and commotions, do not be

terrified, for these things must come to pass first. But the end will

not come immediately. Then he said to them, to them, nation will

rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes

in various places, and famines and pestilences, and there will be fearful sights

and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay

their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and

prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers from my name's sake but

it will turn up for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore, settle

it in your heart not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer, For

I will give you a mouth and wisdom with which all your adversaries will not

be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed. Ooh, can

you see Jesus saying that you who said that Jesus, You will be betrayed

even by parents, ouch, and brothers, ouch, relatives and friends.

And they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated

by all for my namesake. But not a hair of your head shall be

lost. By your patience, possess your souls Verse twenty. But when you

see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then

let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, Let those who are

in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the

country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things

which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and

to those who are nursing babies in those days, for there will be great

distress in the land and wrath upon this people, and they will fall by

the age of the sword, and be led away, kept into all nations,

and Jerusalem will be trampled by gentiles until the times of the gentiles are

fulfilled verse twenty five. And there will be signs in the sun, in

the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth, the stress

of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring men's heart, failing

them from fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the

earth. For the powers of heavens will be shaken. Then they will see

the Sun of men coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Men,

Now, when these things begin to happen, look up, Look up,

Look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

Then he spoke to them a parable Look at the fig tree and all

the trees, when they are already budding. You see and know for yourselves

that summer is now near. So you see when you see these things happen,

know also that the Kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say

to you, this generation by will, by no means pass away, till

all things take place, heaven and earth will pass away. But my words

will by no means pass away. But take heed to yourselves, lest your

hearts be weighed down with perusing drunkenness and cares of this life. And that

day come on you unexpectedly, for it will come as a snare. And

all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth watch therefore and pray

always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come

to pass, and to stand before the son of Man. Amen, made

the Lord add to the reading of his word. Amen, Now what's going

on for you as those words were read? As you hear those words,

what's going on for you? What? How are you feeling right now?

Wow? Okay, Wow is a good word. You want to elaborate.

What kind of wow is this? It's like whoa, I was like wow?

What kind of wow is this? Okay? You want the interpretation of

that? You go to bed later, Okay, what kind of wow?

Is it? All? Right? Other thoughts? Other words? What's what's

going on for you as you read that? Terrified? Okay? So terrified

is one word? What else? Yes? You are reassured? Right?

Hey, guys, done with preaching radio? Okay, we can do all

the call and we can go back ready, and you're called what that's say?

No, do you have that simple faith to say that this is yeah,

it's gonna happen. Now, what's gonna happen? Happen now? Right?

And Jesus already said, you know, if you believe in him,

you shall be saved. Uh. And so does this come as a surprise

to all of you? It shouldn't. It shouldn't, but it's still shockses

right, I mean that that's I love that response. But what about the

rest of you? Honestly, how are you feeling right now? There's an

urgency, Yeah, there's an urgency for what and times? The day is

coming? What day is coming? And then like pop quiz will a man,

I'm testing you. What do you know what day is coming? All

right? Right? Right? Did you study theology or something? Hah no,

excellent, Yes, Actually, theology means you know what logic means.

Logic. Logic comes from the word logos, which is the word which is

study. So we all have our theology, our own understanding of God.

Many times we have a wrong understanding. That means you have a wrong theology.

You don't have to come out with a Bible, BCM theology or something.

You know, anytime you have a thought about God, that's your theology,

right, So yes, we all have a theology of God. So

so I understand there is fear, there's there's there's you know that angs or

not not so much is like, oh no, am I ready to go

through this? Right? Am I ready? Am I prepared? There's urgency?

Urgency and we can talk a little bit about what that means for you

as well, right, urgency for what right is it to quickly finish your

You know that I like to ask this questions, right that. Okay,

we all believe that, Okay, who believes here that Jesus is coming back

the second time? Who believes really really believe? Okay? Who wants Jesus

to come back now? Not? Not so confident? Right? We believe

that Jesus is coming back, but not many of us want him to come

back now? Because why? Why why do you think we are hesitanting?

Like do I want Jesus come back now? Yeah? Because not really?

What heaven? Heaven enjoy life yet? That's y Heaven got a wife yet,

Jesus? Not yet? Lah, I haven't even found the love of

my life. Yet Yeah, Okay, there's no wife and husband in heaven.

Okay, so it's like God, you mean you're gonna deny me that

pleasure on earth because in heaven there is no marriage, you know, your

only brothers and sisters in Christ. Yeah. So so it's it's important,

right, and you know that the signs in the Bible is all coming to

pass. And although it's been a long time coming. Right, if you

study the word, there are four major signs, and in Mattew twenty five

as well, you can read that. It's it's similar to Luke twenty one.

And you will see that the first, you know, the first sign

has gone out, second sign has gone out, and then the last few

signs will be very quick in between. All right, and so now we

are seeing things come to pass. Really, earthquakes is happening pastilensers. We

just came out of one, a big one which impacted the whole Well,

never thought of can happen? Right, it happened COVID nineteen. Is it

too far to remember? Not too far? You know. Actually it's only

been three years and we are still living the consequence of that. Prices of

goods have gone up so much in Malaysia. Nothing is cheap. Eating out

is crazy, right one person? Imagine like four percent or a family of

four. So food is things are gonna get tough. Will you remain Will

you remain in the faith? Someone comes to you. Do you know that

I heard right? I heard in And this is quite scary that in Malaysia

they are actually in the talks of putting a SIM card or a chip into

baby's heels for identification purposes. Did you think that it was a far fetched

thing. It's happening right now. They are talking about it right now.

The technology I think is available right, So something that may seem impossible twenty

years even ten years ago, right now it's happening. Like that. I

want to have kid or don't have kid? Now? The one the way

my kids are for all this, some one you ask God? Okay,

God, we'll give you the grace whether they have kid or not. But

okay, so let let's try and unpack. What are some of the things

that we can help to prepare us and how should we respond to this?

Like okay, in verse eight, what is the very first word that Jesus

said in verse eight itself? Go back to your Bible Verse what is the

very first thing that he said before that take heed? What other translations are

there? Watch out right, watch out? Or take heat? Now in

the greed you would see that this word take heat is from this word bleeppole,

bleipole, and it means to have the power of understanding, to understand

something, Yeah, to discern something mentally. Okay, use your brains right

now, guys, don't fall asleep on me. Okay, engage your brains

right now, they say, right, the largest unexplored territory in the whole

and tire you well, you know where that is? You know not where

is the largest unexplored territory in the world? Russia? What else? Where?

Else? Sorry? The ocean? What else? Not? Pole?

No, Actually it's between your two ears, it's your brains. This is

the largest unexplored territory. Because Christians, you know, don't just don't put

this to wastela. Okay. God gave us a brain to use. Okay,

so let's let's let's learn. Let's learn. Okay, God gave us

a capacity to learn. Okay, so to have understanding, And I like

what the last definition is. It says to turn the thoughts or to direct

your mind to a thing, to consider, to contemplate, to weigh something

carefully, to examine it. Yeah. So every time we focus our mind

to something, that's what taking heat is right. And today this morning we

are taking heat. We are turning our thoughts to Jesus's warning. All right,

So that's important, okay. And another part where you hear this word

watch. You know, Jesus taught his disciples to watch as well. Can

you remember which incident was this, when Jesus please watch with me at the

garden, at the garden of GASEMONI right, just right before Jesus was about

to be nail at the cross that night before he was at the garden of

Gasemone, he was praying and he I'm gonna read to you from Matthew twenty

six, right, so was thirty seventh. And he took with him Peter

and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply

distressed. Even Jesus was sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then he said to them,

my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death. Stay here, and stay

here and watch with me. And he went a little further and fell on

his face, saying and prayed, saying, Oh, my Father, if

it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I

will, but as you will. Then he came to the disciples and found

them anyone's sleeping right now in church and said to Peter, what could you

not watch with me one hour? And then what he says in verse forty

one, watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit, indeed

is willing, but the flesh is weak. Amen. So do you know

where the verse comes from? Now? The flesh is weak, the spirit

is willing. Yes, I want to read the Bible, but I'm tired,

right. I want to read the Bible and pray. But it is

very interesting. What's this viral thing going on? Now? The flesh is

weak, although your spirit is willing. All right, And so Jesus says,

please watch and pray now. In the New Testament, this word watch

right has two different words, and it means to stay awake, to stay

awake. Okay, you have a gut house right, just as the Uni

villash. And most of the time when you are on watch, you're guarding.

What must you do? Be awake? Yeah, stay awake? I

mean it's very funny if you're a gud like that, right, have you

seen this kind of guds? Okay, I got it's all right. Firstly,

stay awake, But what else must you do when you're is it just

staying away? And then you know there's in my timan I stay in oug

and sometimes I go for a morning walk, right, and then and then

there's a guard there and he's awake, forgets what he's doing exactly, he's

watching his phone. I walk past, good morning. He's like, is

that an effective guard? No? Right? So what must you do as

you are guarding? As you're standing guard? Be alert? You gotta be

alert or what's happening? Are you alert? Or what's happening in this world?

Are you alert? Or what God is doing? Or do you think

that, oh I don't know where it's godlin? Is he sleeping? Are

you sleeping? Are you sleeping? God? Where are you? You know?

Sometimes right, we might feel that God is very silent, like,

hey, God, don't you see the war that's happening in Israel? Why

wouldn't you do something about it? Why won't you do something about it?

Right? And so you know we have to be very watchful in our spirit.

Okay, as we see what's happening in the world, we have to

be watchful in our spirit. Now, how do we be watchful? Okay,

let's go through five thoughts and five points that I have for you.

Number one is we have to be wary against deception. Yes. So the

first one is someone said earlier, do not be deceived? Right? What

do you think are some of the lies or deception that you have believed,

or Christians have believed. Give me some thoughts. What are some of the

lies or deceptions? No, everyone is in the truth. What are some

lies that you think that, say, again, don't get married, don't

want to get married. Don't get married so you can work harder to get

more money too, to enjoy life. Okay? Is that a deception?

I suppose that's a principle, different principle that a person believes in. Right.

We can have a separate discussion on this. Okay, man, it's

it's okay. But what other kind of lies? Do you think? That

the church is very gullible too? Yes, excellent, Okay, let's talk

a little bit about that. So being a loving Christian means you are compromising

on a lot things. Can you give me an example, m okay,

so hanging out with your friends at maybe I'm compromising places just to be a

loving friend, right. And so that's a good example because I think many

of us struggle to find what is their right behavior to have. Right.

So, for one example is I'm a Christian. I should always be there

for my friends, for example, and that means I hold no more principle

whatever, Right, So if they want to go someplace and it's in the

name of love for my friend, I will be where they are at.

I think we can unpack that a little further and just kind of say,

so, but what is the right thing to do? So if you think

about it, Jesus was always hanging out with the text collectors as well,

right, but he was there with a purpose. So we have to kind

of understand what is our purpose for hanging out because it's very easy to just

use that I'm just loving my friend and then after that forget your mission and

just say, Okay, yeah, every Sunday night, let's hang out,

let's go drinking, let's go partying, and then that becomes your lifestyle.

Right. So that's that's one way that we could be let into deception all

right, some other kind of deceptions. So let me help you with that,

is that you only believe Jane, not you, maybe me or some

people believe that God is only if your answers, your prayers are answered the

way you want it to. Yes, the moment you prayed. And and

say, for example, if there was the healing didn't happen, if the

healing didn't happen, is God still good or not? You have to answer

that for yourself. I can tell you the Bible answer, but you have

to kind of ask your own thoughts. You know, actually, do I

still believe that? You know? Do you know that the lady that the

condolence that we just read earlier Elaine Lianne's mom. So I had the privilege

of seeing her, visiting her last week on Wednesday. She was in the

ICU. She she's been battling lung cancer, but it was bad. She's

been battling lung cancer for two years and this time route she had a lung

infection and so they were trying to figure out what medication that will help with

the infection. They were doing tests and all that, and so we were

there. We couldn't even go into that room that I see you because it's

isolated, right, And so we were just standing outside the glass. We

could see her. She could see us as well. And so then n

I say, you want to pray, you just pray outside ela, okay?

Uh? And doctor Jill and I we just prayed and ministered to her

the word of God, uh, and we recorded it. How how else

to bring it to her? So we had this idea like, okay,

why don't we just record our prayer and so that when a sister goes in

to see her, she had to suit up and all that, right,

and then she can you know, play that recording for her. But it

was the last time we saw her because yesterday morning she passed on. Now

this is my second ministry with doctor Jill. The first one was with another

lady as well. Also one week after we met her and pray for her,

she passed on. Now, when you are so near death every time,

and this has given me a new perspective of life. Do you know

that when you encounter death, when you're very near death, it gives life

a different meaning, right, gives life a different meaning? Uh? And

can I still say that God is good? Even after we prayed for healing,

we pray God. But you know now that my prayer has changed.

Is God, your will be done, Your Kingdom come, Your will be

done? Because only God knows what's best for her. Right, Even her

Christian sisters were saying, well, if God takes her home, then she

will no longer be in pain because she was suffering. Right, And these

are tricky questions to to deal with as you go through life. Right,

what is it that you want for us? It's like, Oka, I

want you to live forever and ever, you know, like as long as

you can to spend more time. In fact, the lady before that we

met, she just got saved in July this year. She passed on yep,

just last month and she was fifty two years old only and she just

got engaged. And in our ministry time with her, she said, can

you pray that I can live longer because I want to tell others about God.

But of course God had other plans and God brought her home. I

don't know how this is speaking to you, but I just want to let

you know that God is good all the time, all the time, even

right now, even with what's happening in the situation in the Middle East,

God is good. So we must be very very careful what kind of theology,

what kind of mindset we have of God? Do not be deceived because

the devil is very very very very smart, okay, very smart. Don't

think that you can outsmart the devil, all right. He is so clever

to treat God's words, even a truth, that he can turn one word

and it goes. I thought you say something like that, right, but

then little did you know that he has twisted the entire truth And you go

like, oh do you know? Okay, the very first deception happened in

the garden, right Eden, The very first deception happened there. What was

the lie that the devil told? If? Did God really say that?

What did God really say that? Did God say that you will die you

eat the fruit? He didn't quite say that, right, I mean,

if God is so good, why will he let you die? Oh?

Actually, yeah, oh yeah, Now I'm shaking your theology of you right?

See? The thing is right in God's perfect goodness is his righteousness.

Can you see that our understanding of goodness? Oh my gosh, my time

is flying like crazy. Okay, I'm gonna take more than that. I

don't care you're Okay, I got ten minutes. Lee. If God is

really good, right, then how can he let bad things happen? That

that's our mindset. And and as parents, and I think they're probably one

or two parents here our idea of goodness. I want to protect my kid

from everything that's bad. Right. But do you know that as humans we

all have choices to make. We all make choices each day, and with

every choice there is a consequence. Would you rather God says, okay,

I zept you all to just obey everything that I say. You have no

choice and not saying it, Okay, Ben, you will marry this girl.

See when you're married this girl, that's it? No choice or not?

Would you like that? No, you're like, of course, we

all like choice, my right. But with choice then comes responsibility. We

always forget that. We always want to make a choice and say, God,

you bless my choice no matter what, oh you you think, God,

what send the GLOSSA? God is way way bigger and gooder and better

than what you can decide for your own. And so that's why we must

always go back to the world of God. The only way that we can

God against the deception of the devil is to continue to read God's work every

day. Guys, you cannot afford not to have God's word as your daily

bread. This is the spiritual nourishment that your spirit needs. Otherwise, everything

that you feed from your social media is junk food. Can I say that

is jung food? Why are you feeding your spirit and your mind be junk?

And you say, oh, why my spiritual lifelike me? I feel

very dry. I don't feel God speaking to me. Yeah, of course

if you're feeding yourself junk, how do you expect to be healthy? No,

serious one. I cannot encourage you more. You know, there's as

much as we can do on a Sunday service, but what you do every

You know, you can have a great healthy meal on a Sunday, but

if Monday to Saturday you're eating youngk food. You think, how if you're

not exercising your faith, not exercising the good Word that you've eaten on Sunday

right, which means you have to go and do it right. Don't just

be hearers of the word, but be doers. And the doers you know,

doing God's is exercising faith. God to say love your neighbor, have

you been loving your neighbor every day? Can you choose one act of kindness?

Send one word of encouragement to someone your friend, pray for someone,

and act of goodness that is loving your neighbor, meeting them, taking they're

call at three am, even though you're sleeping, because they needed someone to

talk to. With all your judgment and criticism on the one half a Christians

to do well, you let that one show grace when others wrong, you

forgive them. Can you do that? No? Cannot say no. How

you become spiritually lazy, you become spiritually fat, and you're like so sluggish,

right, and then you're lugging you this spiritual baggage around because there's all

this unused up faith. Faith without action is dadah, No point, Just

come through your Yeah, I worship God. You're jumping jumping, you know,

like energize the money. Then after that you go out there and your

route to everyone else. No point, it's nothing, it's good for nothing,

right, it's your daily life from Monday to your Saturday. That is

the reflection of the kind of Christian that you truly are. It's the kind

of theology that you hold people read you. You are the only Bible that

some people will read. And so what they understand of God is what they

see through your life, you know, not what you say. You can

say, I'm a Christian, I pay my ties, I go for a

mission trepe so what so what if you don't do your work well? So

what if you're rude to everyone? So what they look at your life and

so we have to get our lives right. Yeah, don't be deceived.

Okay, there's a lot of reflection for you think about don't be deceived.

The second point is do not be afraid? Yes, okay, So the

moment you hear more new says coming up and then you feel that fear coming

out, what do you do? What's your response? You're afraid? So

how do you counter that response? Don't look at it anymore? Go and

cover yourself, you know, behind the curtain, so that all these bad

things will go away? Right, Jesus coming back? Areadya? When is

Jesus coming back? Is that how we are supposed to live? Run away?

So what is the right response? Standing your ground? But you know

what you need to know what ground to take? Right? What else?

What else? When you're afraid, what's the first thing that you need to

do Guys go back to the word immediately. What can you do right now,

the moment you feel penning or afraid? What do you do? Pray?

Oh my gosh, Hey, you know, as Christians, we have

the best gift to enter into God's presence wherever we go. You know,

I don't have to go to some temple somewhere. I don't have to think

of flight to Jerusalem to say that's the only place I can pray. Right

now, I say, Father, God, in the name of Jesus,

I come before you. You are in God's presence. Do you know how

powerful prayer is? Why don't you come for prayer? Why don't you pray

the moment you hit a crisis. Why don't you pray when you're dealing with

a difficult boss. Why don't you pray when your cose mates, your assignment

mates are giving you trouble? Why are you not praying? Do you Okay?

So that's another deception, right, Prayer doesn't work. God's too busy.

Prayer doesn't move mountains because I pray for three years and my dad is

still not safe. Actually, I pray more for more than that. I'm

praying for my dad's salvation it's been ten years. Does it mean I stop

praying? Do I give up? Don't be afraid? He Christians, we

should be the most bold and fearless in this day and age. Everyone else

who doesn't have God, they have a right to fear. Yes, they

should be afraid. They should be trembling. And I'm not surprised that the

world out there is in despair mental health cases. Are you surprised more people

committing suicide? In fact, one of my friends that administered to yesterday,

her friend just committed suicide two days ago. And I had to help her

grief and deal with this. And guess what, this friend is a counselor

of herself, but without God in her life. Said, I bring you

sobering news because that's the reality that we live in. So wake up,

guys, wake up, Wake up Church. There is much for us to

do. It's no time to just do our own life. There's no time

to be just afraid. We need to rise up. Amen. The third

point I have is this to expect testings. Yes, if you've never been

tested in your faith before, Oh, guys, I'm telling you it's coming.

Oh like, what are you predicting doom over us? Elder ROAs.

No, I'm just saying what Jesus said expected Are you prepared? Not?

Hey? Like so campers, students, right, you go for exams,

right, you have your assignments as one, but you have exams and you

know the test is coming. What do you do right now? You better

study it, right, you better prepare right. So Jesus is saying,

hey, that test is coming, the final test is gonna come. Are

you prepared? How are you preparing? How are you preparing yourself? Guys?

Really, there's no time to lose, no time to mind mind,

don't play play right. It's really time to get serious about your faith like

never before. The signs are all there. The signs are all there.

Okay, so expect testings. But I love this encouragement from Jesus himself.

Don't take it from me, take it from the world of God. Let's

go to verse thirteen twenty one thirteen. What does it say? What does

it say in verse thirteen? But it will turn out to you as an

occasion for testimony. When you are going through your child, your persecution,

expect that God will turn it around to be a testimony. Wow, God,

you mean I have to walk through this value of the shadow of death.

Yes, you know that in psum study tree, right, I think

you did that at homes. Yes, the verse says, even though I

walk through the value of the shadow of that, he didn't say, God,

preserve me, turn away from you know all the value of the shadow

of death. God is saying even that means he's saying, you will go

through it. But guess what I am with you? I I'm with you

and ather lie that you think of or I'm going such a hard time God

you left me. That's a deception. Can you see how much deceptions we

carry in our daily thoughts? So much lies? The enemy are very clever.

I told you the enemy is so clever, Like huh, you go

through this? Right? Told you got very fickle one. He will bless

him, him, her, him, not you because you're eating chewing gum.

No, I was just joking at You're fine you but but you see,

these are the thoughts we carry in our mine. Right? Is that

why everyone else is bless Why everyone got that's the way to share except me?

When why is my situation not changing? There is no breakthrough? Why

is it like that deception in those moments? Right? What is the right

response, What do you do? Pray? What else? There's another very

powerful tool God has given us? What else besides pray? What? Huh?

Pray listen obey? That's one. Okay, I know you're going down

that road, but excellent, pray listen obey. But there's another powerful tool

that king huh pray and fasting. Yes, there's that as well. But

this is something that David was very good at. What was David very good

at? Worship? Praise? Guys, when you are down, that's the

very moment you need to praise God, give thanks unto God, enter into

his gate with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Why are we

not doing that every day? Guys? Every day? Don't wait for Sunday,

don't wait for you know, combine worship or whatever. Every day you

get to do that. Are we doing that? That's how we strengthen ourselves.

That's how we strengthen each other. Praise amen, Because you know what,

praying and praising this it changes your thoughts to focus on your problem.

No, it changes and it trains your mind to focus on God when you're

praising. If you don't know what to say, Heaven rules, you have

a big problem. Heaven rules, and that's why our thing like this change.

Guys. We are giving you the tools so that as you enter into

your daily battles. Heaven rules God. I know, and I'm settled in

my heart just like my brother Ben here. Hey, God's got it all

under control. My dad in Heaven knows everything that's happening. It's gonna be

okay, guys, It's gonna be okay. That's that's that's what you need

to do. It's gonna be okay. It's really gonna be okay. Do

you believe that? Then your should be smiling and joyful right now? Why

are Christians they're like long papy. Your face a very stressed, Your friends

stress, you like ea stress. Come on, you should be the one

saying, hey, it's okay, we got this because God is fighting our

battles. Wow, you believe or not? Do you believe? The worst

says God is fighting our battles for us? What you mean only in the

Old Testament? No, today, today, God is fighting our battles.

Would you trust? The fourth one is this to comprehend the signs. And

I spoke at length about that. So read the news, read the world

news. But read it always with the perspective of this lenses, through the

lenses of the Bible. You know that if you can read and interpret everything

from the Word of God true the lenses of God's words, you will see

things very differently. Do you know that you will see things very differently?

And you know it's It's all always are pointing to the fact that the Kingdom

of God is near. Are you excited? Oh? Man, I'm excited

because when God's kingdom is near, the king is coming back. Amen.

You want world peace. The Prince of Peace is coming. No one else,

don't. Don't expect anything. The world powers of today they can't do

nothing for world peace. They can talk on to Okay, you cannot talk

peace. You need to have the Prince of Peace come rule and reign.

Then you will have real peace. Amen. Amen. And finally is this

we need to have a heart check. Okay. And this is taken from

verse thirty four. I want to read that again. It says, take

heed right, take it to who, to your neighbor, take it to

who yourself. Guys, jagga did didri, jaggar diris and diri. That

means take care, watch out for yourselves. It says, but take heed

to yourselves. Less your hearts beat way down with carousing, drunkenness and cares

of this life. How many of us are so way down by the cares

of our life? And then you're thinking, Yo, the day is so

far awayler, But what's keeping us so heavy? Very hard to move?

People ask you to do something away away my life. My calendar is full.

We are weigh down with a lot of things. Care of this life.

I'm not saying okay, please don't hear me wrong. I'm not saying

quit your job. I'm not saying don't be a student. I'm saying be

there, but keep your eyes on the Lord as you are doing it,

as you go to work, watch out. Do you know that God has

placed you in your campus, in your schools, in your offices for a

reason. There is a purpose for you to be there. In your family,

there is a reason for you to be there. No accidental. You

know, Hey, God is not a girl who's like oops, Alama.

I don't know why she is the Malaysia. It was an accident. I

think I forgot to calculate this. Ah, so my probability all gone ready.

God's like that. But sometimes we feel like that. Right? Oh

man, what was this an accident? You are not an accident. No

one is an accident. We just have to wake up to the reality that

God has a purpose for each one of us. Right, So I want

to leave some other words of encouragement. So the whole idea is we gotta

be watching. Right. So the first one, what do you do?

Be wary against deception? Can you test your thoughts each day? Guys bullet

like, you know, I like that God gave us emotions? How many

emo people? We have? Your emo? Or straight with some all the

guys like, oh, I like that God gave us emotions because it's an

indicator. Yes, it's not everything. Can I say that just because you

feel like you don't want to wake up to go to church doesn't mean you're

right because this world is preaching you do what you feel like today. I

feel like I'm a girl. Let's be a girl. Today, I feel

like I want to be a cat. Can you call me kitty? No?

I'm serious, you know because I feel like a cat today. You

know, my fur and all. I just want to be loved, be

careful. Emotions are there to give you an indicator to check what's going on

in your heart and in your mind and the moment you feel something that is

not in alignment with the word of God. Check, guys, something's going

on in your mind that has been planted by the devil. Okay, so

we gotta like work at it and say, no, this har I'm feeling

right now, I feel like a cat. What does God would say?

Oh? God met meet and female. Okay, he made me in his

image. Okay, he made me human? All right, today I'm human,

I'm born with certain things. I am who I am. I'm gonna

embrace it. I'm going to be the best God that you have made me

to be. How about that? Do you see how the world of God

aligns you to His perfect will, to His perfect purpose for you each day?

Don't you know? Don't glorify emotions because the only thing that needs to

be glorified is God. Amen. Don't glorify our emotions. It's a hard

check for us. But everything that we do is to glorify Him. Amen.

Amen. So I can invite the worship band up, but I want

to leave you with other thoughts. Right, So, how do we continue

watching and praying? And this is one of the commandments that Jesus gave us,

Yes, to watch and pray, Watch and pray, watch and pray.

So I gave you some thoughts about how we should be watching our lives

and how we should be praying. So some of these ways that we should

be praying. In Hebrews, chapter nine, verse twenty eight, he says

this to those who eagerly wait for him. He will appear a second time,

Amen, apart from sin for salvation. So let's settle it once and

for all. Today we know that Jesus is coming back, Amen. So

you expect him, you pray for his return, and you prepare yourself for

his return. Amen. And that means, uh, guys, we better

get our lives in order. Yes, if there are any secret sins,

if there are any habits, you know that's not pleasing unto God. Don't

wait, la, why you want to wait? You know? If it's

like you know that there is a torn in your flesh and you're like,

oh, but it's a little bit bothering me but not too bad, and

you just leave it there. You leave it there too, fester. It's

oh, maybe I go see doctor next to you, or maybe I see

the doctor when I'm busy when I'm free, and there are things in our

lives ah that it's not pleasing to God. You know it, I know

it. Get that right? If Jesus comes back tomorrow, how you say,

God? I thought you say you're going to come back later. I

didn't have a chance to repent. I didn't have a chance to get that

right. I didn't have a chance to reconcile with my dad who hurt me

so much? Why wait? Why wait? Guys? Can I can I

ask you this question? Why wait? Why wait for the right time to

do the right thing. The right time to do the right thing is today.

The right time to do the right thing is now, Not when I'm

better, not when I'm rich, not when I get not when the person

says sorry to me first. No, today you have today, it says,

someone that you need to reconcile with. Is there someone that you need

to apologize too? Is this someone that you need to even just show love?

Why wait today? In Revelations sixteen fifteen, he says, behold,

I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his

garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Amen, this is what

I'm saying. Let's get our lives right today, so that when we stand

before God we will not be ashamed. Let us not, you know,

just live life like I say, see us sea a wasteful life. And

then we think like, oh no, my God will be very and merciful.

Right, but you know that He will call everything that we did or

did not do into judgment. Yes, if you're not sure, go and

read the Bible. He will. We need to account for our lives.

There is an accountability here. Yes, he gives you free choice. Yes,

he gives you freedom, but he will call that freedom into accountability.

Amen. In collisions for we should pray in earnestly essays. Collisions for to

says, continue earnestly in prayer, be vigilant in it. In thanksgiving,

have you been vigilant in your prayer life? Meanwhile, praying also for us

that God would open to us a door for the Word to speak the mystery

of Christ. Guys, as we are praying, as we are watching,

as we are getting our lives right, we also want to be praying for

opportunities to speak the Word of God. Amen to others around us. First

bit of four seven says this, but the end of all things is at

hand. Therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all

things, have further and love for one another, for love will cover a

multitude of sins. Immen. In first bit of five eighty says be sober,

be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring

lion, seeking whom he may devour. Guys, as you are getting your

life right, just expect that things are going to get tough, firstly with

the world, secondly with the devil. As you become more and more in

line with the word of God, the devil will try everything in his power

to stumble you. But that's when you know, Hey, my God is

bigger than the devil. Amen. He has trampled the devil at his feet.

Don't be afraid of the devil. I know he's smart, but God

is mater. Amen. We hope you've been blessed by this message. For

more information on our church, please visit as Church Org. We are also

active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going to be

a good week ahead for you. God bless