Are These Really the “Last Days”? Know How to Be Prepared.

Drenda Keesee • September 12, 2018

1999, 2000, 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2015.

Those are just some of the years people predicted Jesus would return to earth.

And that’s just in the last 20 years and not counting all of the other “last days” predictions that had nothing to do with Jesus. There were plenty more before that, and there will be plenty more predictions for when He might return in our future. Google it if you really want to see the list.

But WHY? Why do we spend time trying to figure out when Jesus is coming back, or listening to the predictions, when Jesus plainly told us Himself in Matthew 24:42, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Because we want to be prepared.

We want to know how to protect ourselves and our families and loved ones.

We want to make sure we have our acts together.

Who wouldn’t?

But here’s what we can’t forget: The clock is moving, no matter what.

While it’s true that we’re seeing plenty of signs that make it look like we’re living in the “last days,” it doesn’t matter whether Jesus returns in your lifetime or not, and whether it’s the earth’s last days or the end times or not, because YOU have just ONE life to live.

It’s time to make sure you’re living the way God has called you to live and preparing for what your future holds.

If you read the rest of Matthew 24, you’ll see that Jesus was warning the disciples not to be alarmed or deceived by what they would see happen in the world. He uses an example of a burglar breaking into a house to warn the disciples to stay expectant of His return at all times:

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:43-44).

Jesus told us He would return when we don’t expect Him, so why are we so eager to recognize the signs of the times? So we can minister to more people? So we can do what’s right before we run out of time? So we can stand watch at the door right before the “burglar” shows up?

Jesus said we should keep constant watch and always be prepared.

So, the most important question isn’t “Are these the “last days?”

The most important question is:

If Jesus comes back tomorrow, will you be happy with what you did today?

Because whether we are or aren’t living in THE last days, we are living in OUR last days.

You and I only have a certain amount of time to make an impact, so we should always live our lives as if Jesus were returning tomorrow.

We need to make every minute count.

Proverbs 20:4 says, “A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.”

This version says sluggard but it also means people who procrastinate .

It’s easy to procrastinate. We all do it. We put things off until later. We say we’ll get to it when we “get a chance.” Some of us even justify our procrastination by saying we “work better under pressure.”

This quote about procrastination really hits home:

Procrastination is the arrogant assumption that God owes you another chance to do tomorrow what He gave you a chance to do today.

See, if you think that you can procrastinate and still have the same harvest you would’ve had if you hadn’t procrastinated, you’re wrong .

Because whether you like it or not, we live in seasons. We have to understand the seasons and the timing of things. We have to know how and when .

We have to recognize that there are times when we need to prepare, times when we need to sow, and times when we need to harvest.

This is a season to prepare.

People send our ministry emails all of the time asking us if Jesus is coming back. We tell them, “Yes, He is.”

Of course, we can’t tell you if He’s coming back today or tomorrow or 20 years from now, but we know He’s one day closer to coming back today than He was yesterday.

You don’t need an angel to show up in your bedroom tonight to tell you that the world is getting darker. Just turn on the news for two minutes.

First Thessalonians 5 tells us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night:

Now, brothers [and sisters], about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

You may have heard that part of the Scripture before, but keep reading…

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then … let us be alert and self-controlled.

Did you see that?

YOU, as a believer, are not in darkness, so the day of the Lord should NOT surprise you like a thief.

We know He’s coming back at some point, but we don’t have to be caught off guard.

So, what should you be doing to prepare in this season? What do you need to know and do?

#1 – Make every minute count by keeping your focus and priority on God, be sure you’re in faith and living it, and glorify God with your life and your choices.Jesus told us He would return when we don’t expect Him, so why are we so eager to recognize the signs of the times, Because we want to be prepared.

#2 – Recognize that strategy and timing are essential to every area of life. The mystery of strategy and timing is one of the greatest mysteries in the Word of God, and it’s one you have to understand if you expect to capture the harvest opportunities God will show you.

First Corinthians 2:6-16 tell us that if Satan had figured out the plan of God, he would have never killed Jesus. The devil would have adjusted his strategy if he had picked up on the plan of God. This is true for you too.

Satan will adjust his strategies against you if he can pick up on God’s plans for your life.

God’s primary tactic against the enemy is to surprise him with unusual strategies, which God gives a man or woman in the earth to bring His will in any given situation. Read 1 Samuel 17, and you can clearly see that David’s victory against Goliath was accomplished by using an unusual strategy—a plan that caught the enemy off guard. Many Christians don’t understand this vital law of spiritual warfare.

All too often, we get an idea from God and we procrastinate; we lose valuable time; we tip off the enemy. Then, by the time we move on it, we run into all kinds of issues and problems because the enemy has had time to line up interference against it.

Because it isn’t just the unusual strategy that makes you successful, it’s the timing .

David ran to meet Goliath. He didn’t procrastinate. He didn’t go have lunch, check on his sheep, and take a nap. He took action. He made every moment count.

#3 – Understand the times we’re living in —know what’s going on, and prepare for the future.

_____________________________________________________

As a friend of this ministry, we want to help you make every minute count; help you get a better understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God—like strategy and timing—than you’ve ever had before; and help you know more about the season we’re living in and how you can prepare.

That’s why we’ve pulled together an incredible resource package for you that includes:

I’m so excited to share these messages with you! It’s prophecy that helps prepare us for future events—that gives us a glimpse of the future so that we can make every minute count in the present.

Click here to get your copy of this new mentorship resource today!

Thankful Hearts and Victorious Lives

By Gary Keesee • December 8, 2025
Reading Time 4 mins 6 secs – Thankfulness isn’t just good manners; it’s a spiritual posture. It’s how your faith stays strong, your heart stays aligned, and your life stays connected to what God is doing. In a world that constantly pulls on your emotions, drains your joy, and fills the air with fear and pressure, thanksgiving becomes how you stay connected to the victory Jesus has already won for you. Second Corinthians 2:14 reminds us that God always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through our lives, He spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere we go. That’s not just poetic language. That’s a description of your life in the Kingdom. You were designed to walk in victory, carry the fragrance of heaven into every room, walk in faith and not fear, and bring evidence of God’s goodness wherever you go. And the doorway into that life? A thankful heart. Thankfulness Is Your Position of Strength You don’t wait until you see victory to thank God. In the Kingdom of God, thankfulness comes before the breakthrough. First Corinthians 15:57 reminds us that God gives us victory through Jesus. Not someday, not eventually, but as a present, active reality. When you say, “Thank You, Lord, for leading me into victory in this situation,” you are aligning your heart with what God has already spoken. You are: Agreeing with His Word. Positioning yourself to receive. Stepping into alignment with His promises. Philippians 4:6 tells us to bring every request to God with thanksgiving. Gratitude is not the result of answered prayer; it’s part of how we pray. If someone handed you a check and you said, “I’ll see if it clears, and then I’ll thank you,” how eager would they be to bless you again? In the same way, when we approach God with “Father, thank You that You always lead me into victory,” we’re not pretending. We’re trusting His character before we see the outcome. That is faith. Gratitude Changes the Atmosphere You don’t just walk into a room; you carry an atmosphere. We’ve all stepped into places that felt heavy, tense, or anxious without anyone saying a word. But God designed you to carry something different: Peace instead of pressure Freedom instead of fear Victory instead of defeat A sound mind instead of anxiety When you adopt a posture of thanksgiving rather than one of complaint, your home changes, your conversations change. Psalm 100 reminds us that we enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. Gratitude isn’t just something we do; it’s how we step into His presence and shift the atmosphere around us. How We Limit God When We Forget to Say “Thank You” Psalm 78 tells us that the people of Israel limited God not because His power failed but because they refused to agree with Him. God wanted to bless them. He had good plans for them. But instead of aligning with His promises, they complained, focused on what they saw instead of what He said, and talked more about giants than about God. Grumbling doesn’t just make you miserable; it closes your hands. Thankfulness opens them. The same is true for every promise in your life—provision, wisdom, direction, breakthrough, and peace. Ask yourself: Am I agreeing with God or resisting Him with my words? Do I talk more about the problem or about His promise? Have I been limiting God by withholding my thankfulness? Simple Ways to Practice Thankfulness Every Day You don’t have to wait for Sunday to live a thankful life. You can practice gratitude right where you are. Start with these 5 simple rhythms: Thank Him before you see the answer. When you pray, don’t just ask. Take time to thank the Lord that the answer to your promise is already yes. Guard the atmosphere of your home. If voices, media, or conversations are feeding fear and heaviness, turn them off. Make room for worship, the Word, and encouragement. Say “thank you” out loud. To God. To people. For big things and small things. Train your heart to respond with gratitude instead of suspicion or resistance. Worship on purpose. You don’t need a worship team to praise. Turn on worship in your car, your kitchen, your living room. Lift your voice. Let His presence fill your space. Check your heart often. If thankfulness and gratitude haven’t been on your heart much, don’t condemn yourself; just correct your course. Let God restore your joy. A Simple Prayer Father, Thank You that in Christ You always lead me into victory. I repent for every time I’ve complained, drifted, or agreed more with fear than with your Word. Today, I choose to be thankful. I say “yes” and “thank You” to Your promises, Your plans, and Your goodness. Restore to me the joy of my salvation. Lift off all heaviness. Fill me fresh with Your Spirit. Let my life carry peace instead of pressure, praise instead of complaining, faith instead of fear. I receive Your wisdom, Your strength, and Your direction for every situation I’m facing. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.

The Stewardship of Strength

By Gary Keesee • November 13, 2025
Reading Time 2 mins 59 secs – Health isn’t just about how long you live; it’s about how well you live the life God’s called you to. You were created with a purpose, and your body is the vessel that carries that purpose forward. When your body is weary, your mind drifts, and your spirit feels disconnected, it becomes harder to walk in everything God has assigned to you. That’s why good health isn’t optional in the Kingdom. It’s stewardship. God Cares About How You Feel All through Scripture, God shows concern for His people’s well-being, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jesus healed bodies, calmed minds, and restored people to community. Health in His Kingdom is wholeness, not just healing. It’s walking in peace instead of pressure, strength instead of survival. When you take care of your health, you’re not just maintaining your body; you’re honoring your Creator. Every time you rest when you need it, fuel your body with good food, or take a walk instead of worrying, you’re saying, “Lord, I trust you to sustain me.” Health Is a Faith Decision Faith and health are connected. When you believe God for provision, you also believe Him for energy, renewal, and longevity. Your health journey isn’t about control; it’s about alignment with the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. That’s not a verse about restriction; it’s about devotion. Your body is a place where the Holy Spirit dwells, and how you care for it reflects your faith. Ask yourself: Am I fueling my body for the calling I’ve been given? Do my daily choices create strength or drain it? What does obedience look like in this area of my life right now? Small acts of obedience like drinking more water, sleeping enough, managing stress, and choosing gratitude are seeds of faith that produce lasting fruit. The Rhythms of Renewal God designed life in rhythms: day and night, work and rest, sowing and reaping. When you move with His rhythm, you live from rest instead of running on empty. Here are a few rhythms that restore strength: Rest intentionally. True rest is more than sleep; it’s trust. It’s the decision to stop striving and let God restore what effort cannot. Eat with awareness. Food was meant to nourish you, not control you. Choose what fuels your body for purpose rather than what comforts it in pressure. Move with joy. Exercise isn’t punishment, it’s a partnership. Every step, stretch, or breath can be an act of worship when done in gratitude. Renew your mind. A healthy body begins with healthy thoughts. Replace “I’m so tired” with “God strengthens me daily.” What you repeat, you begin to believe. When You Feel Stuck There will be days when progress feels invisible. Maybe you’re waiting for healing or battling habits that feel impossible to break. Don’t quit. God doesn’t measure health by perfection. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion. As you continue showing up with faith, the results will follow. A Simple Prayer Father, thank you for giving me this body as a gift, not a burden. Teach me to care for it with wisdom and gratitude. Strengthen me to make choices that bring you glory. Renew my energy, restore my joy, and remind me that you are the source of my strength. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen. Remember This Health isn’t about chasing balance; it’s about choosing alignment. When your spirit leads, your soul settles, and your body follows. Walk with God, and you’ll find strength that doesn’t fade, energy that renews daily, and peace that carries you farther than willpower ever could.

Success That Lasts: God’s Blueprint for Your Life

By Gary Keesee • October 10, 2025
Reading Time 3 mins 42 secs – When most people hear the word success, they picture a number in a bank account, a title on a door, or applause from a crowd. Those things aren’t wrong, but they’re not the whole story. Kingdom success is the fruit of living aligned with God’s presence, God’s purpose, and God’s principles. It’s success that sticks in your family, your finances, your calling, and your soul. What God Calls “Success” The Bible defines success as prospering in what God has assigned you to do. Joshua was told to keep God’s Word front and center. You shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. —Joshua 1:8b (NIV) Success begins with alignment, not achievement. When your ways line up with His ways, outcomes change. Success Grows Where Purpose Lives You weren’t designed to drift; you were designed to steward. Deuteronomy 8:18 says God gives you the power to create wealth—not so you can worship wealth but so you can build, bless, and advance His Kingdom. Purpose answers why you’re pursuing something. When your why is right, God can trust you with more. Ask yourself: What problem has God wired me to solve? Who gets helped when I win? How does this goal move God’s purpose forward? Three Pillars of Kingdom Success Presence – Success starts by seeking God first (Matthew 6:33). In His presence, you get clarity, courage, and correction. Purpose – Your assignment sets the target. Aimless motion is not momentum. Practice – Faith works when you work the principles. Plan, sow, and act; God multiplies. Principles That Produce God’s system isn’t random. There’s a time to plant seeds and a time to harvest. If you plant the right seeds consistently, a harvest is inevitable. In Proverbs 16:3, we’re reminded to commit whatever we do to the Lord, and He will establish our plans. Think like a steward and ask, “What have I been given?”(such as time, gifts, relationships, and ideas). Manage them with excellence. Choose excellence daily and do your work heartily as for the Lord, because excellence attracts opportunity. Prioritize wisdom by reading, learning, and surrounding yourself with people who sharpen you. Guard your words; there’s power in the words you speak, so take time to intentionally speak truth. Speak words that are in line with God’s promise rather than with fear. In Luke 16:10, we’re reminded to take faith steps, because small obedient steps multiply, and the servant that is faithful with little can be trusted with much. Break the Success Killers Break the success killers by refusing comparison, which steals both joy and peace. Instead, stay focused on running your own race and celebrating progress over perfection. Avoid hurrying, because quick fixes create fragile results, while patience and process create durable success. Replace excuses like “I can’t” with the empowering mindset of “How can I, with God’s help?” Finally, reject isolation, because lone wolf living limits growth, while community, mentors, and partners in purpose accelerate you. When you consistently choose these healthier patterns, you build the resilience and clarity needed to sustain long-term success. A Weekly Success Rhythm Seek (Daily): 10–15 minutes in the Word and prayer to align your heart and hear strategy. Plan (Weekly): Review your goals and priorities to ensure alignment. Decide your top three Kingdom outcomes for the week. Sow (Consistently): Give, serve, and invest in your skills. Measure (Weekly): What moved forward? What needs adjusting? Celebrate progress, then iterate. Rest (Sabbath): Rest is not wasted time; it’s faith in action . When Progress Feels Slow Psalm 1 paints a picture: a person planted by streams, bearing fruit in season . Not every day looks like a harvest day. Some days are root days. Stay planted. Keep sowing. Harvests have a schedule, and God is never late. A Simple Prayer Father, thank You for calling me to succeed Your way. Align my heart with Your presence, clarify my purpose, and teach me to practice Your principles with diligence and joy. I commit my plans to You. Give me wisdom, clarity, and strength to steward what You’ve placed in my hands. Use my success to bless others and advance Your Kingdom. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen. Carry This with You Success in the Kingdom isn’t a finish line; it’s a faithful life . Start where you are. Work with what you have. Obey what God says. Expect His favor. As you align with His presence, purpose, and principles, you’ll see results that last, results that outlive you, and point people to Him.