Preparation for End Times Part 1: Spiritual Preparation

I leaned against the reservoir beside our house, elbows resting on the aged cement wall, and stared at the water. Bugs skittered across the surface, barely making a dent.  

I thought I couldn’t see the bottom of the reservoir, but then I caught sight of the fish swimming below and my eyes adjusted to the depth.

A moment later wind rippled the surface and blew all the bugs away.

And below, the fish swam serenely, unperturbed by the wind blowing on the surface.  

It’s time to go deep with God.

My Christian experience needs to be like those fish – swimming deep, unaffected by the wind blowing on the surface. Absolutely calm.  

For months before the pandemic hit the world, Richard and I were sensing a strange calm before a storm. And then overnight everything changed without warning.

We are not alarmists, but we are convicted that we are entering the deeply troubled times that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24 – events that will bring on the end of the world.

If we do not already have a deep experience with God, now is the time to get one. We need to be making more than just a small dent in the waters of relationship with God. We need to be going deep. If we don’t, we will be blown away by the winds of strife, trial and the testing of our faith.  

It’s time to be spiritually prepared so that we can face the troubled times coming upon the world.

How to go deep with God

Slow Down

It may feel impossible to slow down but if we want to be prepared for what’s coming we must do as David did: “I have stilled and quieted my soul…” (Psalm 131:2, NIV). He chose to slow down.

Why should we slow down? So that we can think, pray, and hear God speaking.

It’s time to cut non-essential things and focus on the most important things:  

• Schedule time for personal devotions. Going deep with God demands time with Him. If you don’t already have consistent quiet time with God, read 10 Ways to Develop Consistent Devotional Time with God

• Begin practicing giving everything and everyone to God so that you have more mental and emotional space for God. Learn to cast all your cares upon God (1 Peter 5:7) and leave them with Him. The things you are anxious about take up space in your soul and crowd God out.

• Unplug from technology. Put your phone down or leave it in another room. Studies show that even if your phone is next to you while you are busy working, part of your brain is engaged with it, essentially distracting you from what you are doing.

• Get outside and sit still. I’ve learned that it takes at least 30-45 minutes for my mind to get off the treadmill when I am sitting outside. I have to discipline myself to stay out there until my soul becomes quiet.  

Practice Hearing God’s Voice

Learning to hear and recognise God’s voice takes practice. Hearing God’s voice is essential for the times we are entering into. Like the apostles in the book of Acts (See Acts 8: 26-29; 16:6,7), who recognised God’s promptings and acted on them, we will need to do the same. Don’t know how to hear and recognise God’s voice? Read this post on 6 Ways to Discern God’s Voice

Memorise Scripture

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Job 22:2 tell us to lay up God’s word in our hearts and minds, teach it to our children, talk about it wherever we go, and make it an integral part of our lives.

The benefits of scripture memorisation are many – it helps us resist temptation (Psalm 119:11), renews the mind, transforms the life, gives wisdom, and comforts us during trials.

“The Bible in the memory is better than the Bible in the book case.”

Charles Spurgeon

As a child and teen I read many stories of people taken to prison for their faith and how their knowledge of the Bible helped them get through very dark times. Memorisation of things that will strengthen us in time to come is a great way to prepare for those times.

Here are some to get you started:

Psalm 27:1-6

Psalm 29:11

Psalm 46

Psalm 91

Isaiah 26:3,4

Hebrews 12:2,3

2 Corinthians 12:9,10

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Build & Practice Faith

The times that lie ahead will require a faith that can endure hunger, delay, weariness, and difficulty. Faith is like a muscle that is strengthened through exercise. Read 3 Ways to Develop Robust Faith to help you build the kind of faith in God that will hold you fast to Him.  

Practice Surrender

Submitting ourselves to God continuously is essential for the times we are entering into. If we don’t, fear and anxiety or the desire to please man will lead us to make rash mistakes or give up our faith. We must learn to surrender ourselves to God and be moved by His will and not our own thinking and feeling.

When we surrender ourselves to God we connect ourselves to His power. We will not get through the times ahead by gritting our teeth, depending on our own strength. Peter vowed that he would go to prison and to death for Jesus, but when the crunch came he failed. We must be connected to God’s strength or we will do the same.

We must learn to distrust ourselves and depend unreservedly on God so that He can strengthen us and lead us through the troubled times ahead.

Know what the Bible says about Prophecy & End Times

While our salvation is not in our knowledge, it is comforting to know what’s ahead. The Bible offers clarity on how things are going to end. The Bible also predicts that false teachers will lead people astray, and knowing what it teaches will prevent deception.

If you’d like to know more about prophecy and end times, watch this video.

Make Right with God and Man

“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward man” (Acts 24:16 NIV).

Entering troubled times knowing that you are right with God and with others will give peace of mind. Confess your sins to God and receive His forgiveness. If there is anyone you have offended, or someone who has offended you, talk to them and, as far as possible, make things right between you.

Daniel 12:1 tells us that there will be a time of trouble at the end unlike any this world has ever seen. Now is the time to be preparing mentally, spiritually, and physically for that time.

It’s time to go deep with God.

We will only be as strong as our connection with Him.

Read Part 2: Physical Preparation for End Times.  

Are you spiritually prepared for Christ’s Second Coming? What do you need to do to get ready?