End Times Survival Strategies

By
Crystal L. Samples

© Ruach Fellowship, 2009

End Times Survival Strategies

2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

We are in the final countdown to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Things are not
going to get better, in fact, they will get worse. We can see the deterioration of society all
around us. How are we going to survive? God has given us His Word as our sword – let
us learn how to use it.

Step One – Be Radically Born Again!

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Are you radically born again? Saved to the bone? The very first step in surviving perilous
times is to be on the winning side! The Bible tells us that Jesus will return to rule and
reign on this earth with all His saints. It is not enough to be lukewarm in this day and
hour. You must know whom you have believed and be persuaded that He is able to keep
you safe until that hour that He returns.

You must know without a shadow of a doubt, that you are born again.

Rom 10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.

The question is not how much can I sin and still be saved – no – it’s how radically saved
can I be and still have my feet on earth? Quit trying to hold onto the world with one hand
and Jesus with the other. Let go of whatever weighs you down and go all out for Jesus.

Step Two – Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

To survive in these last days, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must have the
power that was promised.

Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in
the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
You are going to need supernatural power. No longer will the attacks be light afflictions
that milquetoast Christians can withstand. When Satan comes at you like a flood – you
have to know the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is in you and available to work on
your behalf right now! When you are faced with deception and religious spirits – you
need supernatural strength, when you are attacked by demonic spirits from cults and
covens – you need supernatural strength, when someone puts a gun to your head and
demands that you renounce Christ – you need supernatural strength!

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the
word of God with boldness.

Do you want boldness to speak up for Christ? Do you want to stand up like Peter on the
day of Pentecost and preach to 3,000 souls? Do you want to reach out to the lame and
crippled and see them healed by the power of Almighty God? Ask God to fill you with
His Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him?

Go boldly before the throne of grace and ask God for His mighty endowment of power.
More of You God! and less of me. More of Your power and less of my feeble attempts to
do something. Lord, let me cease trying to work for You and start letting You work
through me. Fill me now Lord with Your Holy Spirit and power – transform me into the
servant that You want me to be.

Step Three – Be Baptized with Fire

Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after
me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Fire does two things; it burns dross and purifies metals. You need the fire of Almighty
God to burn the dross out of your life. Burn away everything that hinders you from being
the man or woman of God that He has called you to be.

1 Cor 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.
When you crawl up on that altar to present yourself as a living sacrifice – anything that is
wood, hay or stubble will get burned. Don’t forget that sacrifices were burnt! What is the
wood, hay and stubble? Anything that separates you from God! Anything that keeps you
from being 100% sold out to Jesus. Search your life or better yet, let God search you and
point out what needs to go and what can stay. Take it to the altar and burn it there.

Dear God – set us afire Lord! Blaze down with Your holy presence and consume the
wood on the altar! Burn anything that isn’t of You Lord. Set me on fire Lord, I need the
Spirit of God to empower me, to teach me, to flow through me. I have no hope of
ministering to other people Lord without Your help. You alone know the right words to
say to each one. Use me Lord to minister Your Word to the people.
End Time Survival Strategies – Part 2

2 Tim 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

We are in the final conflict of the ages. Good versus evil is about to climax in the fiercest
battle in history in the valley of Armageddon. Before Jesus takes His bride home in the
rapture and the Tribulation officially starts, we will see the birth pangs. The earth is
already moaning and awaiting redemption. We can read Matthew 24 and then look at a
newspaper and scarcely tell the difference. My friend, you need strength to survive these
final few years before Jesus’ return!

Keep Your Eyes on Eternity

2 Cor 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying,
yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
2 Cor 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of
glory far beyond all comparison,
2 Cor 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are
not seen are eternal.

We are to keep our eyes on eternity. This life isn’t all there is – we have eternity to spend
in the presence of Jesus. This present age is temporal or subject to change. The world
system with all its vile filth and greed is going to pass away. Only what’s done for Christ
will last.

Matt 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matt 6:20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Matt 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Don’t spend your time and energy on things that aren’t eternal. Set your eyes on things
above and keep your focus there. While you are going through these ‘light afflictions’,
keeping your mind of eternal things gives you the strength to endure. Jesus is the prize at
the end of the race – stay focused on Him!

Be Vigilant

1 Pet 5:8 Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Pet 5:9 But resist him, firm in {your} faith, knowing that the same experiences of
suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
What is the number one sin while standing guard duty? Sleeping on the job! As soldiers
we have to be vigilant and on the alert. Don’t wait for your child to come home with
marijuana or worse – stand guard over your family now! Pray over your children now out
loud where they can hear you. Let them see you reading and praying. Model what a godly
person is for your children. And this vigilance is not just for your children – pray now for
your pastor, your church, your marriage, your finances, your health before any attacks
happen.

It’s easier to defend your position when the enemy is outside the perimeter! Don’t let
Satan break through! Be sober and alert and stop those demonic attacks before they break
through your perimeter.

Know Your Weapons

Eph 6:17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged
sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and
marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

How do you become one with your weapon? In boot camp, you are issued an M-16 and
you memorize the serial number. You learn every little nut and bolt. You learn to care for
it, clean it, strip it and guard it with your life because some day in battle – all that will
stand between you and the enemy is your weapon. I am telling you friend, you must have
the Word of God inside you in greater measure than any Marine ever loved his M-16. You
must live it, love it, read it, sleep on it, meditate on it, memorize it and speak it out of
your mouth. It must be the first book you reach for in the morning and the last thing you
read at night.

You cannot survive in these perilous times without your weapon. It’s not enough to have
10 bibles on the shelf – I’d rather you had one bible in your heart. When all hell begins to
break loose around you, you won’t have to time to go off and hunt for your weapon, dust
it off and try and find something that applies to your situation. No my friend, you must
have the Word hid in your heart, stored up in your soul. When Satan tempted Jesus in the
wilderness what did Jesus use to rebuke the devil? Every single time He quoted
Scriptures. When the devil tries to show you the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated, the
verse from proverbs should spring up – “Delight thyself in the wife of thy youth.” When
the devil offers you cheesecake on the first day of your diet – “Man shall not live by
bread alone.”

Keep your weapon loaded, clean and handy. When the devil tries to attack you – shoot at
will!
End Time Survival Strategies - Part 3

2 Tim. 3:1 (NKJV)

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

The signs of the times are all around us - trouble in the Middle East, terrorism,
earthquakes and wars. How will you survive the days leading up to the rapture of the
Church? The bible tells us, those who endure to the end, the same shall be saved. Are you
going to endure until the trumpet calls us home?

Communication Equipment

Romans 8:5-9 (NKJV)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be
carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor
indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are
not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Each unit in the army of God must have communication equipment. We, as believers, are
indwelt by the Holy Spirit and must walk according to the Spirit. We must tune our radio
to God's frequency and learn to hear His voice. Learn proper radio procedures (prayer)
and know what codes to use (Scripture).

There will be times when you hear the still, small voice saying "Go this way or don't go
there." If you will learn how to hear God speaking, it will save you - literally - from
trouble. We cannot afford to be caught off guard by surprise attacks of the enemy - we
must be tuned in to our "intellegence sources."

Chain of Command

Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV)

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls,
as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that
would be unprofitable for you.

In every army, there is a chain of command. You will always have someone over you and
as you advance, you will be over others. So it is in the army of God. Learn where your
place in the body is and then learn to function there. If you are in the infantry, be the best
soldier you can be. Watch your platoon leader and sergeants over you so that when the
time comes for you to be promoted, you'll know how.
If God has granted you authority over others, use it as you would like to be treated.
Respect those who look up to you, look out for their welfare and be the first to put your
shoulder under the load that you are asking them to carry. Leadership can be defined in
two words "Follow me." Be the kind of leader that invites people to imitate you.

Mess Hall

Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV)

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you
again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and
not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of
righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age,
that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil.

No army can advance for long without adequate supplies and our spirit man is no
exception. You need food to be effective! Allow me to share the four essential food
groups with you.

1. Meat - your own study of the Word of God. There is no substitute for you getting out
your own bible and reading.
2. Vegetables - listen to others teach, whether it be your pastor, a favorite teacher on tv,
reading good Christian books or listening to the radio.
3. Water - your prayer life. The time you spend daily fellowshipping with God
replenishes you like a glass of cold water on a hot day.
4. Dessert - fellowshipping and worshipping together with your brothers and sisters in
Christ.

In order to be a lean, mean fighting machine - you must be healthy and well fed - visit the
mess hall today!