Mount Up!

I’ll never forget the message I preached one Wednesday night in January 2005 to my congregation, Smoking for Jesus Ministry, located in Eastern New Orleans, Louisiana…

“You know, New Orleans could be twenty feet under water in no time with just one storm – just one! Imagine, in one day, life as we know it could all change in a matter of hours, minutes, even seconds. Think about that for a moment. I mean, if we take a look around and see all of these things that are happening right now in the world with the tragic events and current weather patterns…with the tsunami that wiped out and killed over 180,000 people in minutes, not to mention the tornadoes and earthquakes we are seeing around the world.

“Man, we just don’t understand. I believe that God has bestowed tremendous grace and mercy on America. But unfortunately, it seems as though some of us are very dull when it comes down to spiritual things. Sometimes it takes an awaking like 9/11 and the tsunami to really understand what God is doing and how close we are to the end of the world right now. Whether people want to believe it or not, God is moving and shaking things up to get our attention and to prepare us for the soon return of His Son Jesus Christ. And if you notice, when God allows things like this to happen, there is absolutely nothing that we can do to stop it.”

At that time, Hurricane Katrina wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I was simply speaking what God was giving me. Yet, I believe that God uses us, His people, to predict certain things that He is going to do in the future. And He gives us the authority to speak it. To some of us, God gives dreams and visions, and to others, He speaks directly. But there is a catch, literally. Once the message goes forth, it is up to us to listen, grab hold, and take heed of its teachings or warnings. God wants His people to experience true salvation today, not tomorrow, because no one is promised another day. I believe He used Hurricane Katrina as another wake up call for those who were still sleeping. And for others, it was a test of faith.

Without a doubt, Hurricane Katrina was predicted to be DEADLY! Although we heard the warnings, as a city, a people, a church, and even as a pastor, we did not have a clue as to the true magnitude of her power. Nor could we imagine how she would impact our lives or reshape our future. However, if there was anyone, and I do mean absolutely anyone who knew exactly what we were about to face…it was God.

He had a plan. He always has a plan, no matter how bad the situations look. In Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), He reveals, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Sometimes, I admit that it is not always easy to wait on God to reveal His plans to us, and sometimes even harder to understand them…especially when things look grim, dark, and uncertain. But we can rest assured and trust that He is always going to do what is best for us in the end, regardless of what we may have to go through in this life. And we can relax in the fact that there is nothing that is ever going to happen without His knowing, because He sits high and looks down low upon the earth.

I truly believe that the Spirit of God swept through that Wednesday night Bible study back in 2005 simply to warn us that Hurricane Katrina was coming. Being human, we thought perhaps it would not happen, or maybe we would not be there when it did occur. I spoke the words without realizing that this prophecy would truly come to pass right before my very eyes and in my lifetime. This event showed me that although we really do not know when God is going to move or do something big, we know that He will do it, eventually. It makes me think of how it will be when Jesus comes back – He will come like a thief in the night, with the obvious signs being right upon us. And I honestly believe that it will happen in our lifetime. That is why we have to make sure that we are in right standing with God every day.

Some people may ask, “Why now? Why release this book today?” The reason is because I believe that God placed this book on my heart and that He commissioned me to help people understand what He is doing through the hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, and devastations of life right now.

The point is that these things are actually meant to wake us up while there is still time. The Bible tells us that when we begin to see these things happening within the earth, we should know that this is only the beginning of sorrow (Mark 13:8). So there is more to come. God is crying out, “Believe, repent, confess and turn away from your sins, and come to Me. I love you and I want a relationship with you. My Son is coming back soon. So live for Me and deny yourself. I want you to trust and have faith in Me. For the end is near! Repent…before it is too late!”

Furthermore, I believe that He’s speaking through the storms that strike our lives, such as divorce, broken relationships, loss of loved ones, job layoffs, foreclosures, financial hardships, diseases, and the list goes on. Without a doubt, God loves us all very much and He wants nothing more than for us live in peace and have life more abundantly on the earth. But life on earth is not all He wants us to be striving towards. Instead, He wants us to set our affections on things above and not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:2). It’s about eternal life in heaven.

Please listen. This is not just another story about Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but an extraordinary one that I can only imagine will change the way you think about the storms of life forever. God wants you to get something out of this book that will not only help you, but also your family, friends, coworkers, and church family to understand what He is doing in the world today. It is not by chance that you picked up this book. God has you on His mind and on His heart…daily.

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