Devotions

The prophets — from Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel down to the minor prophets — reveal that in the last days God’s Spirit will once again fall on a prepared people. This event is referred to as the “harvest rain.” It is promised to be greater even than the “former rain,” which was the Spirit’s mighty outpouring at Pentecost.

This prophecy of a “last rain” refers to Israel’s two annual rains. Their seasons were opposite to ours today, with the former (or first) rain coming in the fall, watering the newly planted crops. This typifies what happened at Pentecost, when the “first rain” fell in a great outpouring of God’s Spirit. That rain watered the seed of the Word, and it grew and spread to become the worldwide church we see today.

NO HARVEST WITHOUT RAIN

Israel’s “last rain” came in the spring, ripening the crops just before harvest. Zechariah refers to this last rain, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days (see Zechariah 10:1).

Moses said there simply could be no harvest without another rain. The Lord said to Israel through him, “If ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments . . . I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil” (Deuteronomy 11:13–14).

WAKE UP, CHURCH!

Finally, Joel 2:21-27 gives us a vibrant picture of what it looks like when this harvest rain comes, saying, in effect, “Wake up, church! Look around you. What you see happening has been prophesied. It is beginning to rain, and the Lord has made the clouds bright and full of water. The Spirit is preparing all things for the last great harvest.”

In his first letter to the church, Peter bluntly speaks of the last days: “The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:7–8).

Peter also mentions the last days in his second letter, where he tells the church, “Shortly I must put off this tabernacle” (2 Peter 1:14). He’s saying, in other words, “God has shown me my time on earth is short.”

PETER’S MESSAGE OF WARNING

Peter’s message was meant for the New Testament church, both in the time he wrote it and for every succeeding generation of believers. It is a message of warning, as Peter prophesies the following:

“There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in [destructive] heresies” (2 Peter 2:1).

“There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

“[They will] walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government [the laws of the land]. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Peter 2:10).

HASTENING THE DAY

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10).

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3:11–12).

How does God’s refreshing affect our lives in practical ways?

REFRESHING OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

When God refreshes our circumstances, He changes old patterns that may involve our marriage, our finances, our work. He may expose unhealthy spending patterns and convict us to change them. He may even lead us to seek financial counseling that can help us replace bad patterns and teach us to be wise stewards.

He may want to disrupt old patterns in our marriage, patterns that keep us stuck in unloving ways. Our Father is ready to refresh us with abundant grace every time we need it. This kind of refreshing deals with our circumstances.

CORE REFRESHING

Then we have core refreshing — refreshing that goes beyond our circumstances to renew our souls, our lives, our inner being. This kind of refreshing flows not just into us but out of us. It fills us with joy for our marriage; for tithing and giving freely; for facing difficult relationships with hope and courage and energy.

In short, core refreshing causes us to anticipate every moment of life with Jesus. It stirs in us a heart that says, “I’m fully alive, not dreading the day. I’m thrilled to follow You, Jesus. You have made me bold, not fearful. Let me use this vast overflow of life for You!”

BRING IT ALL TO HIM

What is flowing out of you right now? Unbelief, grumbling, fear? Or faith, hope and love? Just as He did at the festival in Jerusalem, Jesus shouts to you to bring Him your unbelief, your bitterness, and your fear. He wants to replace it with contentment and contagiousness, to move you from emptiness to fullness.

He has promised, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart’” (John 7:37-38, NLT).

I wish you could experience the miracle that our family has experienced.  I wish you could feel the difference between how we live now and how we lived during the days of my youth. Today I love my brothers and sister with a passion. There’s nothing I’d rather do than to sit around and laugh and talk and cry with my family.

LITTLE NICKY, BIG NICKY

The times that I get to travel back to Puerto Rico and visit are some of my most precious memories. When I go home I’m no longer Nicky Cruz the evangelist or speaker. To my older brothers I’m “little Nicky” and to my younger ones I’m “big Nicky”—just one of the family. 

But we were not always so happy and carefree and loving. In my family we have a lot of pain in our past, yet none of us harbors feelings of resentment. When Jesus came into our lives, He brought with Him an explosion of love, mercy and forgiveness. No one holds a grudge. We hold nothing but love in our hearts among us. We don’t spend any time in regret; we just rejoice in the Jesus we know today—in the future He brings to us all.

ERASING THE PAIN

Jesus can do for the human heart what no one else can do. When He comes to live in your heart, He does more than forgive you, He leaves behind supernatural seeds of forgiveness that will not only erase the sin but erase the pain that sin has brought. Not only can these seeds heal our hearts, they can heal our relationships. They can spread through every hurt of our past and undo it.

I could never thank Jesus enough for what He has done for our family. For the forgiveness and mercy and grace that He brought, bringing us back together again.

And He can do the same for anyone. For any family. Even yours, if that’s what you need!

Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book Run, Baby, Run. 

Peter was surely a godly man, and through him the Holy Spirit shows us exactly what God says about how to face these last days. Peter is telling us very clearly, “Here is your most important preparation: Get your heart ready. If this matter isn’t dealt with, all other preparations are in vain. Stay on your knees. And above all else, practice unceasing mercy and love toward your brothers and sisters. Forgive and cover their sins.”

COVER THE SINS OF OTHERS

We are commanded to “cover” those sins committed against us — meaning, we are not to expose the sins of others.

“Charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Who has hurt or wounded you? Who has spread gossip about you? According to Jesus, if you do not forgive and cover that sin, you are like the man who was forgiven a great debt but later choked a man who owed him a few dollars.

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (4:10).

FILLED WITH JOY DURING TURMOIL

The truth is, Peter’s message here has everything to do with the future of the Church of Jesus Christ. You see, God is preparing His Church for a latter-day outpouring of His Spirit. According to the prophets, the Holy Spirit will come in a great wave upon the earth, filling God’s people with joy when the world is in upheaval. This won’t happen, however, where people hold grudges and wounds are left unresolved.

THE QUESTION: Do you want to be ready for what’s coming? Do you want to be fully prepared when all things are being shaken?

THE ANSWER: Then make sure you have nothing in your heart that hinders the flow of God’s Spirit.

Something wonderful is just ahead so make sure you are not left out of it!