TOP 10 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS SEASON from~Scott Townsend~
We’re getting closer to our departure in the pre-tribulational Rapture, and so I believe it’s important for us to talk openly and honestly right now. Imagine we’re around the kitchen table talking as the Body of Christ. I’m going to give you my top-of-mind thoughts on the TOP 10 list of reminders and advice for us.
1. The Bible predicts that things will get worse not better: so, guard your heart. You know the full redemptive plan. God wins and will bring us through the final sprint to the finish line. He will help us finish strong.
2. Spiritual warfare is rising. Evil is in the open and the assaults come from every angle now. People you know are asking questions about what is going on. Take advantage of this opportunity to share the Gospel and what you know.
3. Watch for blind spots in your armor and watch out for flaming darts. Not just darts but flaming darts…they will come from unexpected sources and directions.
4. Be sure to be in community with other believers. Do not isolate yourself! Do whatever is necessary to forge relationships, including patching up previously broken relationships. Get to know your neighbors. Make sure that you’re in a small group at Church. Gather people together at a coffee shop. Do whatever you need to do so that you have a peer-to-peer support system. Don’t trust that there’s going to be an “overwatch” taking care of you. You have to figure this out! Do it now, you can’t just wait for community…be active and intentional.
5. Avoid advanced AI features if you can. Sometimes there are work requirements and you may have to comply, but that’s a separate matter. I’m talking about elective use of AI. Remember, we shared about the new Windows surface laptop laptops with AI (Copilot) built into the operating system. I wouldn’t adopt that if you can avoid it. Be careful of the flood of prompts that ask you for “permission” to authorize and incorporate their “latest AI features” into your computer usage. Resist that.
6. Listen to me…if you are in a sensitive conversation and you wear smart devices, it is not enough to put your devices into airplane mode. If you need to have a confidential conversation and you don’t want anyone (including AI) to spy on you, the only way to do that is to turn off your device(s) and put them in a blackout (faraday) bag. These are shielded and quite inexpensive. It’s worth every penny because we can’t trust who is listening to us and what they may be up to with our conversations and data. Be wise.
7. Read the Word. I don’t know how to say this strongly enough, but you’ve got to be in the Word. If you’ve read the Bible 100 times, begin your 101st journey through the Word of God. You’ve got to stay attached to the truth in the Bible…because that is where you get the real Biblical Worldview. Be a Berean. Your source of truth isn’t us (on this panel, or other influencers) it is the Bible. Period.
8. Be about the Father’s business. Every day counts as we see the day approaching. Coach yourself to manage fear (or other deep emotions like depression) as we see the technological chokehold and the oppressive spirit that is here now and coming like a freight train. One of the things that I have resolved to do with these feelings—because we all have loved ones that are going to be affected with what we see coming—is to reinterpret that feeling of fear as a form of adrenaline. We know that the end is one day closer than when we first believed and even though we don’t know the day or the hour, we know the season that we’re in. Right? So, we need to reimagine what that feeling of fear or depression means to us. We need to use that feeling as a rallying point in our spirit about pressing on as a warrior. We are described as overcomers and those who prevail! We can only do that because Christ Himself overcame this world.
9. Work on sanctification. You are the Bride of Christ! Therefore, act like your wedding day could be tomorrow! This is a mic-drop moment! If you’re comfortable rolling around in the mud, this is your reality check. Yield to Christ and to the Holy Spirit, because there’s purifying and refining that you must go through. In this age, there are more temptations than ever right now. So, we have to have mental discipline and take spiritual authority over the distractions and things of this world. We must cooperate with the process of detaching (from this world) sufficiently so that we are looking up and not fixating on a political savior—or any other savior (small “s”) for that matter.Focus on Christ alone!
10. Share the gospel. Be about the Father’s business. We are each gifted in different ways, but we all have a Matthew 28 common responsibility for evangelism and discipleship. Follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit as you interact with other people. Expect these prompts. Help people connect the dots!
I want to speak to members of our Watchmen Community for a moment. The Watchman Community has been prepared for this moment in time. My journey as a watchman began seven or eight years ago. My eyes were opened when the Lord brought eschatology to the forefront of my awareness. It was my time. Like you, I started to voraciously learn more.
We have spent years preparing for the next conversations that we are going to have when things begin to seriously break in the world. People’s worlds will be turned upside down. They don’t have context (literacy) of the Bible; they don’t have context of the evil plans and schemes of the elite; and they don’t have awareness of the nearness of these days. So, it is on us to be there for them. Expect to pour yourself out.
Look for our Pastors to be overwhelmed as these dominoes begin to be pushed over by the elite. You—as a member of the Watchman Community—have been planted in your Church for such a time as this. You are the one that has increased in awareness and discernment of these days. You are the one that makes yourself available to your Pastor so that you can say: ”how may I serve you now?”
Do not take this opportunity to unleash your frustration and anger because of all the wasted time that’s gone by that could have been better used to wake up and educate the Body of Christ in your local congregation. Cooperate with your Pastor. Do not backup the dump truck and dump everything that you know on their shoulders. It’s just too much.
Listen carefully and meet your Pastor where he is and do not exceed his permission or bandwidth because his eyes are going to glaze over, and you risk him just walking away. Have an open hand. Ask open-ended questions and listen.
Realize this fully: you’ve been prepared for this season. All of us can testify that few listen. Many do not return your texts or emails. They scroll past your posts with indifference and a roll of their eyes. No one seems to really care. Your role as a Watchman, although it looks marginalized right now, will blossom soon. That indifference is going to jolt into a dawning and sobering reality. The Lord is going to raise awareness.
The days of normal sermon series week after week without regard to what else is happening in the world are coming to an end. There will be a lot of turmoil and Pastors will not be able to duck or hide or say they don’t understand. They will have to quickly grasp many new things. Be available to support them.
We have to be there for our Pastors. We have spent years waiting for this.
Let’s work through the emotions that we deal with (including rejection) and smug people that scoff and mock. Let that roll off your back. We have work to do that requires laser-like focus. We have to take authority over those negative sentiments to serve others as is befitting our calling. In everything you do, do it as unto the Lord and do it in love. It’s time to pick up the pace my Brothers and Sisters.
God bless you,
Scott
