Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. Fall is definitely in the air, and as I met with the Living God on the front porch this morning, I watched nature in tune with the season. The nearby horses are a little more vocal when the temperatures drop, and the deer get busy working on the herd. The squirrels are scurrying to get as many walnuts as they possibly can to store away for the winter, and some of the trees are beginning to shed leaves. God’s Creation knows the time is near for change, and they intuitively prepare for what’s coming. They don’t need a clock, a calendar, or a news reminder to prepare themselves for the cold season because they take the lead from God. What a beautiful reminder for me to do all that I can do to stay tuned in spiritually so that I am prepared for what’s coming too.

It could be so easy to get caught up in all the crazy things going on in the world if we’re not careful. There’s tragedy and heartbreak from one corner of the earth to another, and you can almost cut the oppression with a knife. Unspeakable things happen around the clock, and we learn about them in real time whenever we check the news. Some things frighten us, and some things enrage us, and some things are so bizarre that they become part of our everyday conversations. When tragedy hits, most people tune in to their favorite news source to watch the unfolding of events as if it’s entertainment. When there’s an accident on the freeway, it’s not the accident that causes the most challenge, but all those people wanting to get a good look at someone else’s tragedy slow things down; and if they see blood and guts and twisted-up vehicles, they can’t wait to tell everybody they know that they were eyewitnesses to the tragedy. It’s a strange (and sad) world we live in today – just as “in the days of Noah” – and it has become a distraction for most of the world. But it’s that distraction…that fixation on those bad and sad things…that determination to digest every negative event with finite detail, that will cause more Permanent damage than most people understand, and if they aren’t careful, they won’t be Prepared for What’s coming for them too because of it.

I’m honored to hit my knees on behalf of every single suffering soul I know about…and you won’t find me with my head in the sand…But I have Spiritual blinders on, and I can’t afford to get consumed with all the evil details. I’m often accused of being “too negative,” but nothing could be farther from the truth! I’ve got all the answers for a Life filled with everlasting peace, and I don’t hesitate to share them. If I allow myself to become consumed with all the gory details, the less I’ll be inclined to do my Part. As surely as nature knows that winter is coming, I know the King is coming too, and it’s time for the world to prepare. There’s nothing that can be done to stop the winter from coming, and there’s nothing that can be done to change the Plans of God that have been set in motion since the beginning of time. My focus needs to be on preparing for what’s coming, and my attention should be given to all those poor people who have no idea how to Prepare. One day, the One who Created the Heavens and the earth and everyone and everything in it will say, “Enough is enough”, and when the Time is right, nobody will escape the Truth. Some of us will be overjoyed, and some of us will tremble with fear, but ALL of us will hit our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! No matter how horrible our world appears to be these days, NOTHING compares to how horrible it will be for all those people who fail to see the Truth before it’s too late. Sadly, so many Truth Tellers are far too busy focusing on headlines to focus on the End of all time. Sometimes I think about the days of Noah and all those clueless people trying to grab onto the ark before it was too late, all because they refused to hear the Truth. Thoughts like that keep me Focused, that’s for sure.

I’ll be working a whole lot like nature does – preparing for what I know is coming One Day, and I’m doing my part to be sure that my world knows the Truth. It’s not my job to force them into my way of thinking; it’s just my job to tell them about the Truth. It’s not my job to pack their bags for the Journey; it’s my job to give them Directions. It’s not my job to decide who deserves to spend Eternity in the presence of my God; it’s my job to tell them what’s possible for them. Even nature understands to prepare for the inevitable, but somehow people ignore it. Nature knows that if it doesn’t prepare, it has very little hope of surviving the winter, while everyone with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ knows the King is coming One Day SOON – even still, while few bother to prepare, even fewER bother to share.

There’s a whole lot to be done to prepare for what’s coming, so you won’t find me focusing on the news or whining about how bad things are all around me – you’ll find me Preparing and doing my part to help others Prepare for what’s coming too. That’s what the Great Commission looks like. Nature is preparing for the inevitable, and so am I.

How about you?