Fear is what keeps many of us silent even though we see what’s coming for this world – the tribulation. It’s all so overwhelming, the rise of darkness, that we feel paralyzed and unable to warn those around us. I’ve been there in that place of silent fear and still can be at times. You may be feeling that at this very moment and find it’s all too much to try and share with your family and friends.
Elevate Your Voice: Part One
While viewing is not necessary to follow along with the article, the brief four-minute video below is a quick introduction to the topic and a way for me to connect with other like-minded believers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfO0jSPTR98
Time is running out. We see it and even feel it deep in our bones. That means it’s time to figure out how to make ourselves heard in a way where people will listen. Once our eyes are opened and we see the darkness rising in this world and our nearness to Jesus’ return for His bride, finding our voices to share with others is a necessary exercise that will require us to hurdle every obstacle in our paths, including ourselves. One place we will camp is to view the reasons we’re tempted to remain in silent fear. I realize that if we don’t hurdle these obstacles, we each will never likely find our voice.
In my own journey of sharing what I know, I’ve found the number one hurdle to overcome has been fear, an enemy with many faces and facets. Fear is one of the most common reasons for silence since our reasons to fear are many. A few we will cover in this session are:
— Fear of rejection and pushing people away
— Fear of being ridiculed and considered crazy or stupid
— Fear that you don’t know enough to explain
The not-so-surprising news of the day is: All of the above will happen at some time or another if you are speaking out. If you will accept that certainty, then you can better prepare your heart for its eventuality and be determined to tell anyway. I have and still do face each one of the above fear-based reasons to stay silent, yet here I am doing what I do, telling anyone who will listen that Jesus’ return is merely a whisper away. I’m also doing my best to warn of the rise of what Revelation 13 tells us will mark the time of the tribulation. Some listen. Most don’t.
I often did it wrong in those early months after Covid began, so my advice below will be based on early losses and my most-recent wins. A win to me is when someone will at least agree to hear me out and then look for themselves at what’s going on and not take my word for it. A win for me is also my step of obedience in telling, not their reaction. My success is in my obedience. I’m only responsible for learning the facts and telling what I know, the watchman’s call (Ezekiel 33). That’s the end of the road for me. Then, it’s time for them to join the journey we are all on to decide what to do with what they know.
Before we get started addressing various fears that may be keeping you silent, let’s kick off on a more positive note: There is strength in numbers. When you factor in the element of togetherness, you view speaking up in an entirely different light. When you find friends, family, and neighbors who see what you see, fears are alleviated to a great extent as you know you’re not in this alone. Check out the verse below.
“Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:10).
Find your people
When you find like-minded people, specifically believers in Jesus, it will give you strength to speak up in a surprisingly effective way. It’s good, too, to have these people in your life and to have conversations with them as you learn together. When you talk to each other and grapple over all that you’re seeing and learning, your confidence, comfort, and capability in expressing your thoughts will grow. If all you know stays internalized in your head, it very well may not flow fluently from your mouth when you do need to speak, says the voice of experience here.
If you watched the supplemental video within the Embrace Your Design session, then you met Kimmie, my favorite “people.” She’s now a Faith Forward Press (my publishing company) team member, my new best friend, and sister. Our relationship was established and blossomed because of our world’s chaos. Because she did see what I saw and because most in my life didn’t, God gave her to me as a gift.
Since then, she’s been a sounding board and source of sanity when I felt crazy along the way. We have shared videos and articles and then discussed them. We’ve learned together and grown together in our ability to tell what we now know. We even practice on each other in advance of a tough conversation ahead. We are there for one another and accept each other when rejected by others who don’t want to hear what we have to say. It’s happened before and will likely continue to happen to us. What’s changed about us is that, while fear still surfaces for us both, it now has an ever-lessening grip than before.
I can’t recommend enough finding your person and people. Jesus knew the power of the partner. In many places in God’s Word, we read of the importance of believers linking arms.
“Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come” (Luke 10:1).
“And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
“…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).
This concept of finding your people and gaining strength in numbers is vital to embrace in the early stages of preparing to tell. If you don’t have anyone locally, you can find online like-minded believers. There’s something about others seeing what you see and knowing what you know that brings comfort. Just last night I was on the Rapture Forums discussion site. I haven’t been there in a while, but I did notice how I walked away from reading many forum conversations with a sense of comradery. I can see others are out there seeing what I’m seeing, doing what I’m doing, and saying what I’m saying. Give it a try if you find yourself standing alone in your family and group of friends.
One final positive note before we move into the topic of fear: You don’t have to tell all you know. You’ll find it a mistake if you do spew it all at once: the rapture, the one-world government and religion and economy forming, artificial intelligence, technology for the mark, the coming financial collapse, and supply chain issues. (Whew! That’s pure craziness seeing it all in writing.) The reason I know you don’t tell all of this in one conversation is because I’ve done it, vomited everything I knew to wide-eyed friends. Trust me; don’t do that. What you need to do is learn a few conversation starters based on your audience, something we will discuss in Part Two. Then you build up to more over time.
Now that we have two reasons to fear less, having our people and knowing we don’t have to tell it all, let’s look fear right in the face and find our way past it.
Fear of rejection and pushing people away
Because I’m such an isolationist, you would think rejection wouldn’t bother me as much. In many ways it doesn’t, but we all have an internal desire to be liked and accepted. God calls us to be in fellowship with other believers, so when we feel cast out, it stings. If you attend a church where most don’t see what you do, where we are on God’s kingdom calendar, then for you to stand alone will take monumental, even supernatural courage. If you didn’t have the Spirit of God as a believer in Jesus, then I would concede that you don’t stand a chance. Thing is, we as believers do have the power that raised Jesus from the grave within us, so as He was enabled to do His mission here, we can be empowered to do ours if we’re willing.
Since we know He was rejected, we can’t be surprised when we are rejected too. He warned us we would be.
“He came to his own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).
“The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me” (Luke 10:16).
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
Jesus spoke truth no matter the rejection and consequences He knew He would face, consequences that were well beyond what we will ever face in our stiff-necked churches. This sounds like platitudes and church-speak, but truly, He will provide the courage we need when we need to speak up. I can’t tell you the number of conversations I’ve dreaded in advance, only to arrive at them and find myself speaking truth in a bold way no matter the undercurrent of rejection I’ve felt.
There are some things we do from a place of love that are sacrificial on our parts. We suspect what the outcome will be, yet we love the person enough to take on the pain of loving them well. The idea of the kinsman redeemer comes to mind. It cost the kinsman something to help out a brother. It will cost us as well. We know Jesus was our New Testament model of this Old Testament principle. We can talk all we want about being like Jesus in loving others, but if there’s zero willingness to sacrifice our own hearts for the life and safety of others, then we may need to revisit our capacity to love. Love sacrifices. Sometimes that sacrifice is found in rejection by the people we care about.
Hopefully, you will find ways to express and share what you know in a way where rejection isn’t the immediate outcome. Your goal should be to build a bridge you can cross over with time. Remember, just because you fear the worst doesn’t mean the worst will happen. Some people will surprise you and listen. You will find others whose eyes will widen as they tell you they see what you see. Not everyone will flat-out reject what you’re saying. Many are looking at this world with a sense of knowing something is terribly wrong. Until you open conversations, you just can’t know for sure, but if you’re willing to take the risk, you just might add to your people.
Something I’ve come to realize lately is this: When I assume the worst of someone, that they won’t listen, I’m not doubting them; I’m doubting what Jesus can do in them. What if, over time and with more happening in the world, the seed I plant grows into broader understanding for someone who seemed to reject what I told them? I’m just a seed planter. I need to allow the Lord to be the Seed Grower. And I need to allow Jesus to be the Comforter that He is to me when rejection is the outcome of a conversation.
Fear of being ridiculed and considered crazy or stupid
Being called stupid strikes a nerve for me. I’ve actually had a close family member laugh at me and belittle me and ask, “You mean you think you’re smarter than Dr. Fauci?” I can’t remember my exact response to his question, but I held my own in the moment. Still, the comment stung since a major issue that the enemy has used to deter me over the years has been my lack of education. I never felt “smart enough” by the world’s standards, even when I knew on the inside that I was naturally bright. That’s not boastful. That’s me knowing that God has given me the ability to learn and comprehend things that have no basis in formal education or training. That’s called being naturally bright by the Spirit, Him illuminating my understanding.
Because I have become a student of God’s Word over the years, the Spirit has had room to expand my abilities far beyond what I learned through my early education. That’s all you need, the Author of the Bible, to teach you and grow your natural abilities and understanding. You need to follow responsible Bible prophecy teachers and preachers. Many I watch are listed under the Last Days Study tab on the Daybreak.Team website. I don’t mean “prophets,” those who claim to be hearing from God. Those guys scare me. Since Covid struck, I have heard some off-the-wall comments by some off-the-wall people.
Stick to pastors and teachers who are looking at our current world through the lens of Scripture alone. Sure, it’s fine to hear those trusted teachers’ perspectives and how they see things playing out, but their plumbline must be God’s prophetic Word. I steer clear of those who share what they think they’ve heard from God about election outcomes and such. I’m not saying people don’t hear from Him, but I know it’s safest to stick to the Word of God as our source of what’s to come.
There’s safety in sticking to what Biblical prophecies say. When we do, we’re not stating our opinion; we’re only sharing what God has already said will happen. In doing that, our rock to stand on if others do ridicule us is the eternal Rock, Jesus. I know when I speak the truth of God’s Word, it will not return void. Even if they do not believe me and try to make me feel ridiculous, I know better. I know Whose side I’m on and Who’s on my side.
“The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).
I wish I could say I’m not an I-told-you-so person, but I think deep down I am even when I don’t verbalize it. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I will since it may be something that will help you. I know there will come a day when we’re all raptured and standing before Jesus. The stunned believers who’ve been dismissive to me here will finally be forced to believe. I’ll be perfected then, so I’m sure it won’t even cross my perfected mind to say I told you so. But for now, at least I do know I’m right. They can belittle and ridicule me here, but someday the Lord will show them as fact what we tried to help them to see.
I need to know that more than anything, that I’m right. That’s not at all said from the position of pride. I have to KNOW what I believe is true, that I’m right and not following false teaching, something there’s plenty of out there. I spent much of 2020 and 2021 reading and studying and confirming what I believe. Without that I wouldn’t be able to stand my ground with hurtful people. Once you know that you know that the end is near, then it’s easier to feel sympathy for others who don’t see what’s coming. This is a great segue into our next fear.
Fear that you don’t know enough to explain
It nearly drove me crazy early on, that sense of knowing and seeing all that was happening, yet living with the fear that I didn’t know enough to explain. I didn’t. When it came to all the prophetic verses and terminology, I understood what I was hearing and reading but didn’t have the fundamentals down enough to feel as if I could explain them. I’m not saying I’m great at it now, but I have basic talking points down and can share what I do know and offer to send teaching links to anyone who is willing to listen to more. I finally concluded that a witness can only tell what they’ve seen. Without doing my own investigation, I didn’t have enough information to share with others.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to learn and study and find out the truth of what is going on, even if only at a broad level. That’s why I’ve provided so many links for you under the Investigate tab and then updated links under the Week in Review tab. When we present information clearly and without outlandish generalizations, our audience will be more apt to listen. The truth of prophecy sounds odd enough to us as seasoned believers. Imagine what it sounds like to believers who’ve never been taught prophecy and how it will be received by the lost.
Know and present facts. People can’t argue with that. Well, they can and will, but at least you’ll have truth on your side whether they listen or not. When you send them links on topics such as the World Economic Forum and Agenda 2030, you’ve given them facts, a true conspiracy and not conspiracy theories. If they choose to bury their heads, then only time and increasingly worsening world events will have to make them face reality.
Fortunately for me in those early days, I did have deep faith and belief in the truth of a pretribulation rapture, so that was a good place to start. Where is your starting place? Do you have that deep belief that Jesus will come for His bride prior to the beginning of the tribulation? If not, that may be your place to begin. In order to solidify your belief in the rapture, I suggest you visit the Rapture page to learn more from knowledgeable, reputable sources such as Pastors JD Farag, Tom Hughes, David Jeremiah, Dr. David Reagan and others.
Ultimately, until you know more, this area of fear will understandably hinder you. The more you learn and the more you talk these topics out with others, the more courage you’ll find to speak up and out. Remember, all you need to do is learn how to open conversations with people and encourage them to watch what you’ve watched and read what you’ve read. If your lane isn’t teaching on Biblical prophecy, then leave it to the pros who do have that gift and calling. I can’t express the freedom I’ve found in sticking to my own lane. You will find the same freedom. Just learn some and share some and leave what you don’t know up to the Lord and the pros to help others see.
Your assignment prior to Part Two of Elevate Your Voice is to investigate what’s happening in this world and learn facts you can share that prove last-days prophecies are being fulfilled. Helpful resources are provided under the Investigate and Week in Review tabs. And study more on the Rapture if your belief is shaky.
Also, as you’re learning, take some time to address through time spent in prayer the fears I mentioned above. Which ones are most keeping you silent? Get started on finding your people. A reminder the Lord has repeatedly whispered into my heart since long before Covid is, “Time is of the essence.” It is. You don’t have time to waste on fear. Hurdle it. Get informed. Get to speaking.
In Part Two, we will look at the how-tos and how-not-tos of elevating your voice. Trust me, I’ve done plenty of the how-not-tos. I hope to give you some tips and suggestions to help you find and utilize your unique-to-you voice.
I am blessed to join your journey.
Lisa
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Elevate Your Voice: Part One is part of the How Do I Share What I Know series.
Daybreak, Last Days of Light helps the reader learn more about the rapture and the players in this last-days world through the lens of an exciting fiction story. The Daybreak ebook is always offered for free here: Daybreak Free Download. Share it as a means of telling what you know.
About Daybreak:
In this ripped-from-the-headlines action adventure, Paige discovers the world isn’t what she thinks it is. After an urgent phone call from her dad, she sets out on a mission to find the absentee father who walked out of her life only weeks after her mother’s untimely death.
Wyatt, the soldier her father sends to protect her, sounds just like her dad, raving of conspiracies and warning of impending doom. This team, these loyal-to-her-father men, will stop at nothing to locate their leader.
Nothing about Paige’s life will ever be the same after that knock on her door and Wyatt’s two-minute warning.
About Lisa:
As an author, Lisa Heaton is a storyteller with a heart for truth. Her greatest desire in her fiction and nonfiction work is to challenge the reader to discover the truth of who Jesus is and who they are to Him. Now, here as we wait for the any-minute arrival of Jesus for His church in the rapture, Lisa’s latest mission is to warn the lost and wake the found and to help others discover their unique voice to share the truth of our times. More at LisaHeatonBooks.com and Daybreak.Team.