Understand The Time

Too many people don’t know the day they’re living.

They live life blindly, thinking that all they see is all there is. The children of Issachar were, however, different.

They had the understanding of the times and understood that there was more to life than what their physical eyes could see.

There are times and seasons in the realm of the Spirit, just as there are times and seasons here on earth. If you miss God’s plan for you at the time it came, it just might take a while before that cycle comes again.

It could even take as much as ten years or more before this happens. Thus, it’s so important to have an understanding of the times.

To have an understanding of the times is to have insight into the mind of God, regarding a particular time in His heavenly calendar. For example, the Bible says that Daniel found out, while reading the book of the Prophet Jeremiah, that the time for Israel’s deliverance from bondage had come (Daniel 9:1-20).

That’s why he began to pray for Israel, as soon as he discovered this truth. In other words, even though the time for Israel’s deliverance had come, they were still in captivity, and so Daniel had to intercede.

Don’t live your life saying, “Whatever will be will be”; rather, fill your heart with the Word, for it’s only through your knowledge of the Word that the Holy Spirit can open your mind to the realm of the Spirit and give you insight into God’s plans and purposes (John 16:13).

When we say revelation is progressive, it doesn’t mean that we’re adding any new thing or that God brings more revelation from time to time.

It just means that our spiritual eyes are further enlightened to what’s already been revealed in the Scriptures. The reason it’s progressive is that we’re growing; we’re learning more, and increasing in our understanding.

As you study the Scriptures, there’ll be revelations as well as observations. However, much of what most talk about isn’t even revelations, but observations, because the Word of God is complete.

Think about what Paul, Peter, and the other apostles said in the Scriptures, by the Holy Ghost; it doesn’t get better than that. You can’t create a “new revelation,” because it’s got to be based on what Jesus came to do. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

There’s nothing you’d discover today that’s not already in the Scriptures. But you see, even when you study the Word, you may never know some things until the Spirit imparts that knowledge to you. And that is what’s important.

The only thing that’ll change your life is that higher understanding that the Spirit gives; it’ll impact your life in every way. Your prayer will change; your thinking will change. You’ll become so much more effective in your work and ministry in the Gospel.

Suddenly, you’d realise that all that time you were “hoping” that one day, God would have mercy on you and help you, what you needed was the higher understanding that everything you could ever need in your life was already in you; already provided for.

We’re in a very special dispensation in God’s Kingdom. Through the knowledge of the Word, we’re guided by the Spirit to walk in accordance with His plan and timing.

For example, in Daniel 9, the Bible tells us that Daniel, while in exile with the children of Israel, understood God’s timing as he studied the writings of Jeremiah the Prophet. He found out they were meant to be in that captivity for seventy years and had almost exhausted their time in captivity.

However, as nothing seemed to be changing, Daniel decided to seek the Lord in fasting and prayer to bring God’s programme into reality.Leadership development courses

In the closing days of Jesus’ ministry in Israel, He wept over Jerusalem because they didn’t know the “time” of their visitation. The Lord whom they had been waiting for had come to them, but they didn’t know it. Many are like that today.

Make it your priority to be in sync with God’s will and timing for your life. Study the Scriptures avidly, and give time to prayer. We’re sent by God to enforce His will in the earth, using the Name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

But if you don’t know God’s will and timing, things will happen on earth that are neither in your interest nor in the Lord’s interest.

This is why you must pray in the Spirit for the nations, for the Church of God, and for ministers of the Gospel around the world. Pray as though the kingdom depended on you, for it does.

The Lord Jesus emphasized time consciousness and the significance of divine and prophetic timing.

When you look at the prophetic revelation of the things that happened with Jesus, from His birth to His ascension, everything unfolded precisely as the prophets had foretold.

We live in a time-conscious Kingdom even though we belong in a timeless Kingdom. Jesus said, "I’m from above" (John 8:23). He was from eternity, but in dealing with things of this world, He was time-conscious.

We have to know the time in which we're living, where we are in God's calendar, what we should do, and what we should expect.

The question then is, how do you know God's timing for your life or for the nations? How do you know things that should happen or what we should expect? The answers are in the Scriptures-God's Word! That's the absolute source of Truth.

Through the diligent study of the Word, you can align yourself with God's timing and live a purposeful, meaningful, and fulfilling life.

For example, did you know that this is God's set time to favour you, and also the nations? The Scriptures let us know we're in His set time of favour. Psalms 102:13 says, "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come."

Then in 2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV, Paul reiterates God's prophetic word to Israel, which is applicable to the nations today: "For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

This is the day of God's favour, and we have to recognize it and act. It's a day of opportunity, the day of salvation. The Apostle Paul called it the acceptable time. In other words, this is the day in which God accepts men, receives men, and helps men.

The nations are also right now in the day of God's mercy and favour, meaning that we can take advantage of this opportunity and pray for all men and leaders of nations, because if we pray, God will answer. Hallelujah!

-GSW-