Building On A Message To Prepare

6 min readOct 11, 2026

Difficult Days Ahead!

Introduction

Today’s message is both troubling and very difficult for true believers. A writer going by the title “A Watchman” has written a message on Medium that is chilling and yet rings true in the Spirit. His message on Medium is titled “Living in Preparedness.” For those who do not accept that the Holy Spirit speaks to or inspires us today, this message is meaningless and foolish. For those who accept the spiritual nature of Scripture and the true indication that Christ continues to live within His followers, the message presents a decision to be made and a need to prepare. The future will require flexibility and demand that we loosen our attachments to this world and prepare for the world to come.

Cowardice

I admit that, while I feel the growing spirit of disillusionment spreading across the world, I also know that Jesus gave His disciples signs by which to determine when they would need to flee Jerusalem, beginning in Matthew 24:15–22 and continuing in Matthew 24:29–51, with its emphasis on His sudden reappearance and the great tribulation before His return. Being caught unaware is a grave mistake. When the Lord calls for His followers to separate themselves from the world order in preparation for His return, will we be ready to act?

I have never felt at home in this world, and even though I own a home and have established a community, I still feel no real ownership. I know these things may vanish in short order, depending greatly on the position I take. Furthermore, I can remain in a state of relative peace, or, if I speak out and attempt to live as a light of truth, I must be aware that this will separate me from those who do not know Jesus—even if they claim to do so. Unfortunately, this will include some of my family and loved ones. In his writing, the Watchman suggests that Jesus may soon be ready for his people to flee their worldly connections deliberately. I suspect my closest companions would resist, and that would be difficult for me.

Preparation

As for whether all believers should abandon their current circumstances, I do not think it has come to that, but I do believe true believers must prepare and not hold too firmly to their current lifestyles or possessions. If one is free of these concerns, one should not seek new attachments. Matthew 25 offers a hard lesson on preparedness. We should take the advice of 1 Corinthians 7:26–35 and remain in the state we are in without seeking to complicate things further. I understand that Paul’s context in those verses concerned marriage, but the difficulties he mentions also apply to all worldly dealings, as he emphasizes in verse 31.

In saying these things, I am not like Chicken Little, running around claiming that the sky is falling; however, I do sense that conditions in this world will not resolve into a peaceful, happily-ever-after outcome. Instead, societal norms will continue to degrade, breaking the bonds of what we used to call civilization and normalcy.

A New Testament Perspective on Worldly Attachments

The New Testament repeatedly warns believers not to let possessions, status, comfort, or the values of the present age become their source of security or identity. Jesus teaches that earthly treasures are temporary and that the heart follows what it treasures; disciples should therefore seek God’s kingdom first and trust the Father for their needs (Matthew 6:19–34; Luke 12:15–34). He also makes clear that following Him may require surrendering property, security, and even cherished relationships when they compete with loyalty to Christ (Luke 14:26–33; Mark 10:21–30).

The apostles reinforce this call to inward freedom. Paul urges believers to hold worldly circumstances loosely because “the present form of this world” is passing away, and he describes godliness with contentment as greater gain than the pursuit of wealth (1 Corinthians 7:29–31; 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19). He also calls Christians to set their minds on things above and to regard earthly status and achievement as secondary to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7–21; Colossians 3:1–5). Hebrews similarly commends a life free from the love of money, grounded in confidence in God’s presence and care (Hebrews 13:5–6).

John and James describe attachment to the world as a spiritual conflict of allegiance. The cravings, pride, envy, and self-directed ambition associated with the world are incompatible with wholehearted love for God (James 4:1–10; 1 John 2:15–17). Peter therefore addresses believers as temporary residents whose hope is fixed on an imperishable inheritance, calling them to holy conduct and alertness rather than conformity to former desires (1 Peter 1:3–17; 2:11–12). Taken together, these passages do not require the neglect or abandonment of ordinary responsibilities; they call for readiness to relinquish anything that rivals obedience to Christ and for lives marked by generosity, contentment, watchfulness, and hope in the coming kingdom.

Difficult Lesson

Being prepared to abandon everything is an extremely complicated prospect and something we seldom have to face. It can be compared to a military commitment: when called to action, the soldier leaves everything behind to be ready when needed. There are careers in this world in which those assigned must always live at the ready in case they are called up; this is how Scripture describes all who would be faithful to Jesus. We must be ready for difficult times and not become too comfortable with anything around us in this present world.

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I can look back at my life and know that I was not preparing myself for Christ. I called myself a believer, but I did not have the mental discipline or the spiritual foresight needed for a true spiritual warrior living in a hostile environment—a world filled with spiritual landmines and snipers hiding in the ruins, awaiting victims. We do not see the world from that perspective: that we have been dropped into a war zone filled with enemies and are awaiting extraction when our mission is done. Instead, we become comfortable, gain an education, find jobs through which we define ourselves, have families, and buy and own property as if we are settling in for the long haul. Still, if we take the Scriptures seriously, we understand that this beautiful blue ball we call Earth is under a curse (Genesis 3:17–19, 5:29; Romans 8:20). As nice as some areas may look, the world is depleted and disgraced by the very presence of humanity. God will judge the Earth, and everything we know of it will pass away (1 Corinthians 7:31; 2 Peter 3:10).

All efforts to restore and subdue the earth will ultimately fail as long as evil and sin dominate it. Political efforts and the best-laid plans will come to no good outcome, no matter how well executed, and any successes will be only temporary. For that reason, true believers should not expect to gain a great life while on the earth in its present state. The very world so desired by humanity groans for its release (Romans 6:19–22).

Give Up All For Jesus

The truth requires us to be prepared to give up everything for Jesus—no matter the cost. Modern believers are seldom called to give up everything, including their lives, for the cross; however, all are told to be able to do so if or when that time comes. In doing so, we will be well rewarded, and God Himself will wipe the tears from our eyes (Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 25:8). However, for any of this to be true, the believer must have a deep hope and faith that what is given by God is real. Only true faith will withstand the trials and be willing to put what is said into action when the time comes.

Conclusion

The central message is urgent but clear: believers must live prepared—not in fear or reckless withdrawal, but with a faith strong enough to release anything that competes with obedience to Christ. Homes, possessions, careers, relationships, comfort, and social stability may be blessings, but they cannot become foundations of identity or security. Scripture presents this world as temporary and troubled, calling Christ’s followers to remain spiritually alert, inwardly free, and ready to act when faithfulness carries a cost. True preparation therefore begins now: holding earthly attachments loosely, resisting complacency, cultivating contentment, and trusting that God’s promised kingdom is more enduring than anything this present age can offer. When the decisive moment comes, genuine faith will be revealed not merely by what believers profess, but by whether they are willing to follow Jesus without reservation, confident that nothing surrendered for Him can compare with what He has promised.