Do Not Linger!

On a daily basis, the news service bombards us with news of one calamity or the other. It is hard to pick up the newspapers or listen to news broadcasts without hearing about these. These are all the signs that the Bible talks about will take place before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to rapture the saints. Unfortunately, so many children of God are quite unsure of the signs of the times, quite a lot are preoccupied with what they can get and how they can satisfy their needs at whatever cost. As a result, many are carried away by the constant need syndrome: the desire to accumulate wealth and possess fame. To some others, they are just oblivious to the events around them. With the indices on ground, friend, it will take constant reawakening and steadfastness in the spirit to align our will with God’s in relation to the many swerves and turns of life.

The story in Genesis 19:14-17 is all too familiar to many but few are sensitive to the message behind it. In the account, Lot had been warned of an impending doom that was to befall the city of Sodom and Gomorrah by the two Angels sent to destroy the cities. He was never in doubt about the authenticity of this information but in verse 16 we were told that he lingered. His lingering may have been as a result of his accumulated wealth in the land or the refusal of his future sons in law to escape from the wrath to come. Whatever may be the reason, he lingered! This action of his is quite strange since he understood the workings of God and knew that the Lord meant business. This lingering spirit we equally saw in the wife and she lost her life as a result. Same scenario we see playing out in our time.

Friend, the world and all its glamor is gradually fading away and according to Scriptures reserved for the judgment fires of God (2Peter 3:10-13). Unfortunately, those that ought to be in sync with the Spirit of God at this difficult times are lingering. They believe in God's kingdom, they desire it to come quickly, they hate sin and satan and all his workings, they equally believe that time is no longer a luxury; unfortunately, they act as if they are in control of time. The state Lot found himself represents the state of so many children of God, who have become tolerant of sin and are complacent with the carnality of the world. They come up with excuses and all kinds of justification for doing things or participating in things that negate the purity of the life of God they have been called to live. It is quite sad that so many give themselves excuses to linger on in the system of the world. Friend, we live in the world but we are not part of it, thus, our lifestyle and belief system must differ from it. The Angels knew Lot was lingering and they forcefully took his hand and that of his family and led them out of the city. Jesus Christ has made the same provision for us by giving us a way of escape. We were told in 2Timothy 19b “The Lord knows those who are His, and everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness”. This is the way of escape: to consciously turn away from every appearance of evil. We cannot afford to linger but must return to the presence of God where we will escape the corruption in the world and the judgment it is reserved for. May the grace of God be multiplied to you as you take the decision to remain in His presence. God bless you.