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I. This moment in time.
A. Understanding the signs of the times.
1. Matthew 16:1-3
2. Proverbs 22:3 “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.”
3. I want to attempt to give us some perspective on this moment in time so that we can seek the Lord and prepare for the days ahead.
4. None of this is meant to cause fear and anxiety. None of this is meant to provoke you to take drastic measures in the flesh out of panic.
5. As I share with you today, pay attention to your stress level. If you feel yourself getting anxious, just know that anxiety reveals where you need to grow in trust and faith in your Father.
B. This current contraction.
1. I discern that our economy is currently contracting. That just means that cash flow has tightened.
a. This is not a recession, not stagflation.
b. Just people feeling the pinch of inflation and holding on to cash.
c. Companies are also making cuts, cutting spending, etc.
2. In all of my years of ministry, I have never had so many other ministries reach out to me for financial support.
3. But things are starting to move and this will not last long. As I prayed about this I heard from the Lord the phrase “Better das are coming.” Might be tight through the end of this year to 1st quarter of next year.
4. But after that, my sense is that the economy will rebound, but we need to be wise about using that time to prepare for the future. (More about that in the weeks other come.)
C. This moment in time as described by prophetic voices.
1. Terry Bennet’s prophecy of three seven year periods. (Received in 2001)
a. 2008-14 Financial shaking
b. 2015-21 Political shaking
c. 2022-28 Religious shaking
d. At the end of this time, the foundation will be laid for the antichrist system.
e. This does not mean that the antichrist will arise in 2028, just that the systems that are necessary for his rise will be in place.
2. Joshua Giles and Tomi Arayomi have seen that the next five years will be years of plenty so that we can store up and prepare for 2030 and beyond.
3. The Lord has strategies for us to prepare and prosper in the days ahead, more on that in the coming weeks.
4. But if we want to prepare effectively, we need to understand the times.
II. Where we are in the cycle of history.
A. “The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy” (1997) William Strauss & Neil Howe.
1. The Fourth Turning is a theory of historical cycles where every 80–100 years, or every fourth generation, the U.S. enters a period of major crisis that redefines its future. According to this theory, we’re currently in one of those cycles now—a time of transition. (This would be the fourth fourth turning.)
2. During these times: (intense economic, social and political upheaval)
a. Old economic structures fall apart, a new economy arises.
b. There is great political and social polarization, division.
3. The US has gone through three of these cycles so far.
a. The American Revolution (1775-1794)
b. The Civil War (1860-1865)
c. The Great Depression, WW II (1929-1946)
5. Notice that…
a. At the end of each cycle, old economic system crashes and a new system emerges
b. Division going in, consensus coming out.
6. My point in saying all of this is that there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecc 1:9)
7. According to the timeline, we are currently in a Fourth Turning that began with the 2008 financial crisis and may climax around 2025–2030. But we’ve gone through changes like this before and the Lord has always taken care of His people.
B. Why this next turning will be different.
1. Although we’ve been through phases of intense transition before, this time will be a bit different and more expansive than previous phases. This is because of the rapid increase of technologies, like AI and bioengineering.
2. I believe the Lord has shown me something very sobering. As social media continues to dominate our attention and as artificial intelligence and technology rapidly advance, we’re entering a time where many will begin to think less, not more.
3. Instead of growing in wisdom, they will outsource their thinking to machines and scroll endlessly through distraction.
a. If you don’t use your mind, someone else will.
4. Technology is not evil—just like fire, it can be used for good or harm—technology is great servant, but a horrible master.
5. Already the tools meant to serve us are becoming our masters, and if we’re not careful, our spiritual and intellectual muscles will atrophy.
6. God will always have intelligent, Spirit-led people in every generation—there will be Daniels in Babylon, Josephs in Egypt. In fact, some believers will become wiser than ever as they learn to use these tools rightly.
7. But I also believe we’re seeing a generation lulled into passive, shallow thinking—not because they lack capacity, but because they’ve stopped cultivating it.
8. The Lord is calling to renew our minds. The future won’t belong to the most entertained or most automated. The future belongs to the renewed.
9. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
C. Takeaways.
1. What are we to do with this information? Why am I telling you this? What is the takeaway?
a. It’s not panic, freak out and cry in your latte.
b. It’s not my life is over, the future looks bleak, etc.
2. Two main takeaways:
a. You don’t have to crash and burn with the world’s economy if you’re in the Lord’s economy.
b. You don’t have to pick a side in the division, you can love everyone.
D. Takeaway #1.
1. People who are invested in the old systems tend to passionately defend that system even as it crashes and burns.
a. All they have is invested in the old system, so they want to defend it at all costs.
b. When things look bleak they get depressed or afraid.
c. Matt 6:21 “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
2. BUT WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD… we should not have our heart, hope or equality of life invested in the systems of this world.
a. If you have confessed that Jesus is Lord and He has risen from the dead, then you
have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of marvelous light.
b. Is the Kingdom of Heaven affected by recessions in the USA?
c. When judgment comes on the kingdom of darkness, you will be safe in Goshen.
3. There will be some emotional pain, discomfort, etc. as the old system crashes and burns, but the Lord loves us too much to let us burn with it.
4. Luke 5:36-39
5. I went through a season where the Lord was exposing my idolatry of the things of this world. I had an awakening to the corruption amongst our leaders, political and religious. I saw corruption in the economy, our broken health care system, how colleges work with banks and the gov’t to start long people off in debt. It was depressing.
a. The Lord said to me “That pain you’re feeling is the pain of being a new patch that I am ripping off of an old garment.”
b. I has sown myself onto the old garment, the world that is passing away.
c. Psalm 102:26, Isaiah 51:6 says the earth will wear out like a garment.
6. The Lord will allow us to go through the pain of watching the old system die to prepare us for the age to come.
E. Takeaway #2.
1. Don’t allow yourself to be politicized or divided. Don’t take the bait.
2. You don’t have to agree with someone to love them.
3. You don’t have to pick a side.
4. Joshua 5:13-15
III. Four Keys to Develop to Navigate this Time of Transition.
A. One: Remember that you were born for this time.
1. Acts 17:26 You were born to be here now. God is not surprised by any of this, and he chose you and your children to be alive now for this time.
a. Because He trusts you to walk with Him in faith and obedience.
b. He has a purpose for you in this time and provision for you no matter what.
2. 2 Peter 1:2-4
a. Our grace and peace can multiply even in tough times.
b. He has already given us everything we need to live a godly life.
c. These promises come through the knowledge of God and by
d. His great promises for us in His Word.
3. Young people: there is an increased anointing on your generation.
B. Two: Realize that you are on a wartime footing.
1. You’re on the winning side, there is time for rest and you are always safe. But you’re still at war. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security because you don’t see the war in the natural realm. Just know that it is raging in the spirit realm.
2. 2 Corinthians 10:3&4
3. Be encouraged, it is in the struggle that you establish yourself and come into your inheritance. The struggle is meant to be an opportunity to (1) exercise faith, (2) increase our authority and (3) grow in our gifting.
4. Learn to embrace the struggle, because without it, we will never grow.
C. Three: Spend more time in the Spirit and less time in technology.
1. If we’re not careful, we can let AI become a counterfeit Holy Spirit. This is because it’s easier to get a quick answer from an AI model than it is to take the time to quiet your heart and mind to hear from the Lord.
a. But convenience is no substitute for conviction.
2. Declutter your mind and soul by minimizing time in technology. Spend more time in the Spirit. Whatever time you’re spending in the Spirit now, try to double it.
a. Listen to worship, instrumental worship, etc.
b. Increase time in the Word.
c. Embrace silence.
3. Romans 8:5-9a
4. Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
5. When you use technology, be intentional about it and use it wisely.
D. Four: Remember that we are experiencing a natural cycle and it will pass.
1. During these cycles old systems crash, old wineskins burst and old comforts lose their appeal.
2. The Lord is in this. Allow the Spirit to dismantle the old systems, old wineskins and false comforts in your life.
3. Don’t just watch, pray.