When we have a great anticipation for something that does not come to pass, then we experience disappointment. A man had a recurring dream: He loved playing football. His anticipation of his weekly game and participating in the match gave him great pleasure and took pre-eminence in his life before he began his walk with the Lord. In the dream, the man was looking forward to playing on this particular day, but he got involved in the busyness of life, and subsequently, arrived late. To his dismay, in his haste, he had forgotten to bring his kit. At this point the man always woke up and subconsciously always experienced a disappointment. Many times he had dismissed the dream, but on this particular day, reflecting on the event, he asked the Lord what its significance was. The Lord answered him with one word: UNPREPARED!

Jesus said, Luke 18:8, “….When the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?” Soon, Jesus will return. How prepared am I for His return? What is the condition of my heart?

Isaiah 40:3-5 “The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”

We all have our “deserts” that God wants to “make a way” in. In the natural, we experience the ups and downs of life but God wants us to have a consistent walk with Him – a straight path without the roller coaster of uncontrolled emotions taking us into mountain and valley experiences.

Jesus demonstrated, in His lifestyle, how to live a peace controlled life. His relationship with His Father was such that He only did the things that pleased His Father. He only spoke the words His Father gave Him and these were Spirit and life. On another occasion He was silent before His accusers. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent, (Ecclesiastes 3:7). The Holy Spirit teaches us how to live a peace controlled life. This is the preparation God is requiring of us for the return of His Son, living by His proceeding word.

Jesus said, Matthew 4:4, (referencing Deuteronomy 8:3) “…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” This is part of the preparation for this hour, learning to hear the proceeding word. Disappointment often comes because man is unprepared. We know there is a place where the timing of God on His clock, not man’s, is imperative and we have to trust Him, but we must also learn to live by that proceeding word to move when God says.

A MAN WHO LEARNS TO SIT STILL MOVES QUICKEST WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVES…..because his ear is tuned to listen for the proceeding word from God. He is controlled by God’s peace and not by circumstances or emotions. Emotions are God given, but need to be controlled by God’s peace. EMOTIONS ARE GREAT SERVANTS BUT BAD MASTERS.

What value do I put on God’s peace in my heart? It is priceless. Part of the preparation we are talking about is learning to live in that peace bubble and not trade it for anything in the world. If we recognise a ripple in our emotions, and deal with it, we do not have to have a storm. The fleshly bias in our heart will always lead us to the “tree of knowledge of good and evil”, (Genesis 3), our reasoning, but our spirit man will always take us to the word of God. What does God say?…should always be the question we face our circumstances with. Proverbs 3:5-9 is a great peace controller, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths……..”

1 Chronicles 22 records the account of David making great preparations for his son, Solomon, to build the temple of God. It says of David that he prepared “abundantly”. It did not happen over night. Preparation takes time. In this day, we are God’s temple and He is preparing our hearts to be the tabernacle of His peace, the dwelling place of His Son, the mighty Christ, that He may dwell comfortably in us and manifest His abundant life through us. “Christ in me, the hope of glory.”

By God’s grace and mercy, we have entered into a liberty in the Holy Ghost. Let us not be like the foolish Galatians (Galatians 3:1), who went back and traded their new found liberty for dead religion. James 1:25 refers to the “perfect law of liberty.”
God has set the parameters in that liberty for us to have confidence in His “proceeding word” where peace and direction flow together to produce divine destiny.

We all have past experiences where we discovered our “good” ideas were not “God” ideas, resulting in failure. We did many things “to” God that were not “of” God. In humility we can see them as learning curves in the School of the Spirit. If the foundation is wrong, the building will not stand. “Of him, through him and to him are all things“. May my “tos” become my “ofs” as the preparation continues to reveal Jesus in me, for God’s glory.

May the word, “unprepared”, not describe me when our beloved Lord Jesus returns to this earth. Every provision is made for this hour if I will yield to, and be guided by, the Holy Spirit who will teach me all things. Am I teachable? Progress takes place when I embrace my need to change, let go of my strongholds and receive the royal exchange: the beauty of Jesus for my ashes, my wood hay and stubble of my right to myself. Let go and let God be true!….in me! Christ in me, the hope of glory.