Fear No Fear

“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.’” (Matthew 25:7-8, MEV). Jesus loves us enough to give us time to prepare. And preparation time is NEVER wasted time. But it is not forever. There comes a time when you are needed. The thing is happening. You can’t take more time. If you do, you’ll miss out. God has never been shy with giving warnings. In giving us time to prepare. We see it again and again throughout the Word. Prophets, kings, and messengers come to deliver the warnings to people all around. Israel, the patriarchs, Assyria, you name it. They are given warnings. They are given time to prepare themselves for what is coming. They are given hope to hang onto. We are given the same opportunities. We are given the same kinds of warnings. We are given the same kind of preparation time. But are we listening? Are we taking it seriously? Are we obeying so that when Go Time arrives, we are ready? Or are we going to miss out on opportunities because we aren’t? You might say that opportunity never comes knocking on your door. Maybe it isn’t sent because you’re never ready. God doesn’t want to tease us. He doesn’t want to bring us pain. You may never know about what you’ve missed out on by not listening and following through. We don’t see the opportunities that are unrealized. They’re not the important thing. The important thing is being willing to obey. To prepare ourselves for what MAY come. For what we’ve been warned about. For what we’ve heard is a possibility. To prepare our hearts so that when it happens, we might be surprised at this thing out of the blue, but we won’t be unprepared, flustered, and unable to respond. Preparation time is never wasted time. And obedience is never the wrong road to walk. Listen and follow through with what you hear from the Lord.