The Sluggard

By Ray Gano

Proverbs  6:6 (KJV)  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Folks, if you are easily offended, then please stop right here. The following article is one of great concern, and believe it or not, one of great love.

I look out at the horizon today and the direction this country as well as the world is going, and I have to say that a storm is coming like no other.

Now I want to make very clear that I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet. I do not stand on dreams,  visions nor "words of knowledge." What I do stand on is God's Word in knowing what the future holds.

To be honest, we view our world in two different ways.

You can look at this world and see great opportunity, or you can look at this world and see great despair. It is up to you on how you view it. I guess it depends on what sort of person you are. Do you see the glass half empty or half full?

This has got to be one of the most painful articles I have ever written, but I feel that what I need to say, is what needs to be said.

Christians, we have turned into a gaggle of slothful sluggards, and I group myself into this as well because I know that with all I do, there is still more of myself that I could give to the Lord.

 I have been feeling a conviction like no other. We as the church have failed when it comes to "occupying till HE returns," and that is a fact.

Here we are living on the razor's edge and yet we are asleep at the preverbal wheel.

Scripture says…

Proverbs 6:9 (KJV)  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Look at where this nation is going, the path that we are on, the direction we are being led.

People, don't we see where this is headed?

It is like 90% of the church has just given up and rolled over. The fight is gone, the battle is lost, the white flag has been given over to the enemy.

Is it just me who feels this way?

Listen, I am going to harp on something that I know that I am going to get a ton of flack for, but I feel that it needs to be said.

But before I make my statement, I need to clarify one thing. I firmly stand on the Lord's imminent return. My ears are perked  every moment in hopes to hear that triumphant trump sounding.

Thing is, that so many have used this as an excuse, instead of the impetus for action.

Yes, I am talking about the rapture.

It seems like there are many out there that have forgotten why we are here. They have forgotten the great commission and the great commandment. They have focused on things that really do not matter, over the very souls of the loved ones we could effect for the Lord.

 It is like they have rolled over and said "WHO CARES.. The rapture is coming, so let's eat, drink for tomorrow is not. Why?... because the rapture is coming."

It is like people are using this as a crutch and excuse to be complacent instead of leveraging it for strength to get out there and share the gospel in all earnest.

Folks, we hear it all the time, time is short, but it seems like we have been lulled into some sort of sluggard's stupor. We are like a deer in the headlights and don’t know what to do.

I was thinking back on the Boy Scout motto : Be Prepared.

But for what?

Be prepared for anything. Live a life of anticipation as well as urgency.

Scripture tells us to "Be Ready Always"

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

We need to be ready always to share the gospel in good times and in bad.

But what is sad is that it seems that we have lost our "fight within us."

What we need to do is fight, fight for tomorrow, fight for that loved one across town, fight for that co-worker. We have got to shake off this complacency and we have got to stand and fight.

Now here is where I might upset some of you.

But Ray, I stand on Matthew 6: 25 & 31

Matthew 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Folks, using this verse so that you do not have to do anything is taking scripture out of context.  People are using God's Word for an excuse for laziness.

What many people are doing is making God out to be the great welfare agent in the sky and sugar daddy.

He is neither of those.

How does God provide for all our needs?  Well, He sure doesn’t plant $20.00 bill trees in the back yard, nor have I witnessed pennies from heaven. How God provides his blessings is opportunities set before us.  Because we are being diligent for Him through the work we do for the Kingdom, he will provide for all our needs.

We need to work, prepare and always be ready.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 (KJV)  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Proverbs 30:25 (KJV)  The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

So leaning upon Matthew 6: 25 & 31 as your excuse has turned many into sluggards.

I want to speak to the men for a moment here.

Men, read the following and ask yourself, what are you doing about it?

1 Timothy  5:8 (KJV)  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

You know what really gets my goat is when I hear folks say that I am some radical survivalist gun toting nut for having the concern to make sure that my family is taken care of.

I often here "Ray - You just don’t trust God to provide and besides look around you, the rapture is coming any day now."

So is it wrong to put food "insurance" in place?

Many have home insurance, car insurance, life insurance, health insurance, renters insurance so forth and so  on. How many people are willing to give that up because the rapture is going to take place in the next few days?

Where is your faith now?

Don't YOU trust God?

Why do you have all these things in place if you are quoting  me

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

In fact,  if you quote Matthew 6:31, then also why not  "sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me?" (Luke 18:22)

Do you see what I am getting at? It seems like there is hypocrisy going on.

What guarantee can you give me that we will NOT be here this time next year?

What about 3, 5, 10 years from now?

"Oh Ray, the rapture is going to come and God will take us home!"

Yea? …When?

Do you have some sort of magic all seeing crystal ball that will guarantee that we are outta here by this time next year?

I know that I am pushing the limits with some of you. And in fact I can hear you say.. "Ray has gone off the deep end. He is turning into one of those… you know… post tribbers. "

Folks, like I have said, I stand firmly upon the Lords imminent  return.

In fact it is the doctrine of imminence that drives this fire that I have burning in my bones at this moment, and saying the  things I am saying.

I look out at the sea of people, including myself and I ask, "have I  really given my all, or am I paying lip service?"

Do I really believe that He is coming soon or am I just playing the church game that many of us play?

Folks, very hard times are coming to this nation. That is a hard core, 100% fact. You can bury your head or you can wake up and smell the coffee and do something about it.

We are on the cusp of what I believe as being something great. Others see doom and gloom. Others refuse to see anything and it is life as normal, Monday Night football, pizza on Fridays.

Folks, I see great opportunity like no other.

The problem is that about 80% of us don’t care, 20% of us are getting somewhat involved in the game, 10% of us are on the field of battle and 2% are fighting the fight.

It all boils down to we have forgotten to "Occupy Till He Returns."

But what is worse, the enemy has caught us in our complacency, and now we are having to play catch up big time.

Can you guarantee that we are not going to be here this time next year?

I know that I can't, and in all honesty, you can't either. Only God knows the time. So we need to wake up to this reality, put on our armor and fight the good fight instead of being the yellow bellied cowards we have been for the last 20-30 years.

It is time to plant the standard of God and say to the enemy NO MORE!!! 

We need to live like the next minute is our last, as well as if we will be here for the next 20 years.

With this stated, we need to ground ourselves and look at what tomorrow really brings, and folks it ain't going to be coming up all roses either, tough times are ahead.

We need to prepare and we need to be ready. This nation and this world is going down the tubes fast.

But more than that, there are so many out there who do not know the Lord and they are seeing this world go to the wolves.

These people are fearful and they do not have the answer, but we do. It is what we do with that answer that is of the utmost importance.

1 Corinthians  15:34 (KJV)  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

I speak this to your shame…. Those are very hard words to hear.

What are these lost people to do?  Are they to go to these pitiful excuses for churches today so they can hear about their Best Life Now?  What about gaining heaven through works and have a "Purpose Driven Life?"

Let me repeat what Scripture says…

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Christian, we have a responsibility like no other. We cannot be sitting around on some mountain top singing kum-by-ya with our eyes peered into the clouds.

That is the way of the sluggard.

What is worse is because so many have bought into this lie of doing nothing because God is going to rain pennies from heaven, has effectively  taken themselves out of the game and sitting on the sidelines doing nothing for the kingdom of God.  

They continue to make our Lord out to be our excuse for such slothfulness.

The  time is at hand now, the need to be ready to share the gospel is now. But are you ready to ALWAYS share the gospel?

How many people do you know that do not know the Lord?

What have you personally done about it? Compound that with where this nation is going and we have a responsibility to our fellow man to share the blessed hope in good times and in bad.

Answer me this, what would happen if all the banks closed for two weeks, in fact let's make it one week. Your ATM card would not work, credit card would not work and no one is taking checks.

Store shelves will be empty in just three days, more likely two.

Riots, vandalism, looting, people run amuck. In fact remember the LA riots? Imagine that taking place pretty much in every big city but worse.

But what are you doing about it to ensure that you have provided for your family and that YOU CAN share the gospel in good times and in bad?

Like I said, I am probably going to rub a lot of you the wrong way because you do not want to hear what it is I have to say. Why? Because it means we need to get out of our complacent rut and do something about it.

I  can hear it now. You are going to count me off as some kook, fool, survivalist, right wing nut case, or make excuses.  Anything to sooth your conscience so you do not have to take action and remain the sluggard sitting on your laurels.

While other ministries are out there selling some panacea idea that life is great and God has a extra special place in his heart for the American Christian. You may be sitting there saying He will never allow us wonderful Americans to see hard times, let alone persecution. Why?  Because everyone knows that God's throne is draped in the good ol' red, white and blue.

I am sorry for the sarcasm, but I am trying to drive home a point.

Yes, what I am saying are real hard words to say as well as real hard word s to hear.

It is called cold hard truth.  We as Christians have bought into the PC garbage all these years. The media has told us to be good little drones, don't store food because that is "hording." And yet it was seen as prudent when our grandparents and great grandparents had a basement full of self canned jars of food, dried hams hanging from the rafters and barrels full of salted fish or other meat.

Oh they were not hording, that was then, but this is now.

When it comes to the cold hard truth, we would rather bury our heads in the sand and make excuses.

But we can't do that anymore. The times are at hand and accountability to our Lord is here.

"Can't we just continue on and not rock the boat Ray?"

Look at what "not rocking the boat" has brought this nation.

 Because we have "not rocked the boat"  millions of innocent babies have died in the womb,

Because we have "not rocked the boat" we now have same sex marriage.

Because we have "not rocked the boat"  we have a Muslim President and a nation that is on the fast track to self destruction.

Why?

Because we have refused to "occupy till He returns" with an unwillingness to face reality.

I know that I am sounding hard and uncaring. But folks, if I did not care, I would not be saying these things. If I did not have the love I have for the church, which at times is so overwhelming, I would do nothing.

Christian,  I just cannot stand idly by and just let things go on.

We have got to reach deep down inside of us and pull out that internal fight that I know each and every one of us has inside us.

We have got to prepare and be ready for tomorrow for the literal sake of the gospel. Why? Because the Devil has the high ground and we gave it to him, that is why.

But how many of us really have the knowledge to stand on our own?

Here at Prophezine I have been working hard to try to equip you with the tools that you will need.

It is not too late, we still have time, but what you need to do is realize that we need to occupy and not live in some panacea dream.

Scripture says…

Matthew 25:26 (KJV)  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Matthew 25:33-36 (KJV)  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

1 Timothy  5:8 (KJV)  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

What are you doing to ensure that you feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give drink to the thirsty? What self sustaining insurance have you provided to make sure you have provided for your family so that they can further the gospel as well?

If you are of the 80%... odds you have done nothing.

Just like the slothful servant Christ spoke of in the above verses.

Why? Because you lack knowledge and know how.

Hosea  4:6 (KJV) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.   

Because people have forgotten what God's Word really says and have made Him out to be the sugar daddy in the sky, we are now in the position of ignorance and complacency.

Friend, this has been burning in my heart for the past 3-5 years now. We as Christians have got to stand and be counted now more than ever.  We have got to stop being the sluggard and prepare ourselves for the hard times ahead. You don’t want to believe me, I know, I was there myself. That is until the Lord dropped what felt like a 1000 lb weight called "a conviction for tomorrow."

We are losing this fight not because we have fought the good fight, but because over the years we have given up the high ground.

We do not have any guarantees that we will not be here next year. And if someone tells you differently, then run as fast as you can from them for only God knows the day and the hour.

Look at what the past 3 years have brought with this evil god forsaken administration. What is going to happen in the next  three years?

Do you think that the heathen will do the right thing and help turn this nation around? 

Or are we going to just give up because "HEY.. America ain't in Bible Prophecy anyways, so why should I care and go against what God has ordained?"

Yes, I have actually heard that too. It all boils down to complacency. That is what we have to fight. We have to care again, we have to be ready to ALWAYS share the gospel, but more than that , we need to ensure that we can share the gospel credibly.

But to do that, we need to prepare. We need to learn from Joseph who saw the storm coming and prepared not only for Egypt, but for others including Israel to weather the storm. He filled Egypt's silos full of grain, gathered the livestock, put up stores for later use.

We need to be like Noah, who worked 120 years to build the ark that would save his family.

Folks, what have you done to ensure that YOUR ark is prepared and ready for the storm?

Scripture says…

Hebrews  6:12 (KJV)  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Who do you follow? That person who is pushing that selfish "best life now"?

Or have you bought into some purpose driven drivel that has stolen your time for real works of faith?

Time is short, but we still have time.

Folks, here at Prophezine I have tried to provide some help.

I can hear it now…" Hey Ethel… here it is… he is going to pitch something."

Yes, I am, because I believe that what I am doing is God sent and is needed in the church today.  We have become so dumbed down that we could not find our own head if it was not attached at the neck.

Do you know how much vital information we have lost in just one generation?

Look at what our grandparents knew that is totally unknown because of M-TV and Budweiser.

Folks, we are at that point in time that once again we need to know how to truly stand on our own two feet and be self sufficient.

But what has happened is that the enemy has done such a great job of steeling our birthright, that we no longer know what that birthright is any more.

It is our God through His people Christians, that made this nation great; not Muslims, Hindus, or Hare Krishna's.

But if we listen to the main stream media today, they claim it was everyone else but the Christian who helped form this country.

Folks, we need to equip ourselves with knowledge once again.

There is so much that we have lost from our great grand parents to today. But folks, I have worked at trying my hardest to bring together two DVDs worth of information.

If you want to sit out there in the internet world and throw stones, then so be it. But it is not going to stop what I believe is vitally important work.

I don’t have a 501c3 non-profit organization; Tracye and I firmly believe that this is the way God has called us to run Prophezine.  I have to work doubly hard to live in the "for profit" world , but be more transparent so that I never cast any shame on the Lord for what we do here.

 It is just me and my wife as we sit behind our computers here in our dining room doing the best we can for the Lord. So I don't have the luxury to do things for "free" for the tax write off. We barely have enough to rub two pennies together.

I do what I do because I have a fire burning in my bones and a message of hope to take to the world.

 If what I have said means anything to you,  then we have got to equip ourselves with knowledge so that we are not over taken by the coming storm.

We need to equip ourselves spiritually and personally for the times ahead.

Look at the DVD libraries we have compiled.

Go to http://www.prophezine.com/pz_store/

In getting these , you are also helping us here at Prophezine to make a stand and continue to fight the darkness that is surrounding us. But more importantly, you are going to make a difference for tomorrow because you are equipping yourself with knowledge for today.

Finally, I leave you with the following…

Ephesians 6:13 (KJV)  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The time is now, we must do all so that when that evil day comes, and it is coming, we can stand, and we can occupy till He returns.