We live in times of major stress both in the workplace and in the family. American values have shifted and the love of many has become cold. Families are in crisis and there is great need for healing and reconciliation in the land of America today!

God warns us about the times we are living in through His Word given in II Timothy chapter 3. It is good for us to read this again and to think about the truth that is given:

“But understand this, that in the last days will come perilous times of great stress and trouble (hard to bear) for people will be lovers of self and self centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate (greedy) desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. They will be without “natural affection”, relentless, slanderers, false accusers, intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.

They will be treacherous, betrayers, rash, and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.

They will hold a form of religion but deny and reject the power of it. Avoid all such people and turn away from them.” (II TIM. 3:1-5)

We are forewarned of the “perilous times” that are coming! How is it we can not only survive these times but stay connected to God in and through these divisive strategies of the enemy?

There is only One Way: JESUS.

Right now in the body of Christ it is URGENT that we begin to come in to deep communion with JESUS and HIS HOLY SPIRIT….recognizing and acknowledging the BLOOD OF JESUS as the great delivering factor in our lives. We must begin to understand “what time it is”…spiritually. It is time to hold fast to our faith. It is time to consider and to understand the times that are coming upon us!

It is time to pray earnest and sincere prayers, prayers that speak from the depths of our souls as we ask God for mercy in our homes, families, churches and land.

The prayer that comes to mind is one from Hebrews 13 and the prayer is as needful today as it was when it was written:

“May the God of Peace who is the Author and the Giver of Peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by THE BLOOD that sealed and ratified the covenant, STRENGTHEN, COMPLETE AND EQUIP YOU WITH EVERYTHING GOOD THAT YOU MAY CARRY OUT HIS WILL, WHILE HE HIMSELF WORKS IN YOU AND ACCOMPLISHES THAT WHICH IS PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST THE LORD, TO WHOM BE GLORY FOREVER.”

God is able to keep us, to strengthen us, to give us peace and most of all, to COMPLETE us! We need to be COMPLETED!!!…We need to find the total fulfillment of God’s calling upon our lives, both individually, as families, and as churches!!

I believe in the days ahead there will be much “coming together”….I believe God is desiring to gather His People together for an awesome outpouring in these latter days!

We will not get there by our own strength, by our talents, abilities or knowledge. We will only get there by and through the Grace of Jesus Christ and through the KNOWING of HIM.

Knowing Him doesn’t mean to simply “Know He exists” or to even “Know He died for our sins”….but KNOWING HIM means spending quality time with Him, in prayer and spiritual communion with the Son of God. It means inviting Him in to our lives to TRULY take over and become LORD of our daily lives! It means not only knowing “about” Him, but knowing Him intimately, recognizing our need for a Savior and receiving His sacrifice made on the Cross of Calvary, i.e. the shedding of His Blood for our sins.

John 15 says “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much fruit. However, apart from me you can do nothing.”

Have you ever seen a dead branch just lying on the ground? It has been cut off from the tree limb and has lost its source of nourishment and sustenance!! This is exactly how we are when we are outside of Jesus!! When we no longer spend time with him in His Word or in prayer…when we have lost our “first love” so to speak….we become like that dead tree limb!!

It is so important that we “stay connected” to Jesus in these difficult times.

The meaning of the word “one” is so important!!! One does not seem like a big deal to most of us today! We like BIG NUMBERS…we like QUANTITY!…But the number ONE was enough for God!!! His Son was ONE ….with Him! He was ONE man and ONE God…combined!!!

Listen to this, friends!

Romans 5:19 speaks volumes in this scripture: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were constituted sinners…so BY ONE MAN’S OBEDIENCE many will be constituted righteous (brought into right standing with God)…(acceptable).

If you and I as ONE PERSON will obey God, will stay connected to God, will come into that Secret Place with Him of Intimacy and humility…spoken of in Psalms 91…we will be able to walk in the promises and the blessings of God ALSO spoken of in Psalms 91!! God’s Angelic Protection! …Being able to remain STEADY AND FIXED AND STABLE in even difficult times. .when there are snares and pestilences all around. EVERYTHING is about RELATIONSHIP!!!

Relationship with Jesus! Intimacy with Jesus!….coming into that secret place with Him!…separating ourselves more and more unto Him.

He is the only Way . He is the Way we must take…the narrow road…the path of Life..the Living Bread. He is also the WAY MAKER!!!

He will make a WAY for us amid all the uncertainty, amid all the changes that will be taking place! He will cause us to see above the natural things of earth and to focus our spiritual “eyesight” (the eyes of our heart!)! He will give us DISCERNMENT for these difficult times and KEEP OUR HEARTS from the terror of man!!! He is the ONE WAY: there is no other!

He will walk with us, talk with us, guide us with His “Eye”, show us and tell us……IF WE ALLOW IT!!! IF ….WE GO HIS WAY!!!

I often think of an Amtrak train on its track. We have to go the way the Train is going! We can’t just go anywhere we desire! When we ride an Amtrak train, we go the route the train is set up for. It is the same way with Jesus! He is the WAY….and He does not change because there is no “shadow of turning” with God!

It is US who must change!
It is US who must learn to flow with the Holy Spirit and wait on God to reveal His truth to us!!

There is no ONE else who loves you as much, wants to be as close to you, no ONE else who has died for you and shed His blood to save you from sin. There is no person, no mediator, no OTHER NAME above the name of JESUS!

Acts 4:12 says “There is salvation in and through NO ONE ELSE. ..for there is NO OTHER NAME under Heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved.” That is a MAJOR STATEMENT! Jesus truly is the ONLY WAY…no other name, no other savior, no other MEDIATOR….no other WAY!!!! Either we go HIS WAY….or we don’t go at all.

God has so much for His children in these last days! In the midst of turmoil and change and hardship, He has so much for each one of us!!

Prayer: God grant us wisdom to LAY HOLD of TRUTH at this hour!! God, let us lay aside every lie and every deception that would speak against the truth of your Word! Help us Lord to not compromise your word of truth but to come further in to the knowledge of WHO YOU ARE: THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE!!!

We need you here, Lord Jesus! With us! Just like you were in days of old!! Help us to pave the way for you to inhabit our hearts more fully, to enable us to come into the divine fulfillment of our purposes in you. Amen.

Article is copyrighted by Sondra Stallman.
May not reprint without permission from author.