#249: The Importance of Time

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Thanks for listening to the Revival Today podcast with Evangelist Adolist Shuttlesworth. To stay connected, check us out on Facebook and Instagram or online at RevivalToday.com. Now, here's Evangelist Adolist.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Hello everybody. It is me, and I want you to just look past the hair because I don't really know what's going on here. I don't know what this is. Um, so whenever you're ready, get me that hat. Um so anyway, we are just gonna head right into it. Max is gonna be a part of this um shortly. Um Olivia went upstairs to get me a hat because I don't really know. See, this is the thing, like, this is clean hair. And clean hair for me doesn't want to do what it should. You know what I'm saying? And so it's like it's flat, it's clean, it's clean, it smells delicious, but this this it makes me look like a 1980s rocker. Um, so we're just gonna push past it until I get a hat. But I did want to talk to you about the importance of time. And I know that's kind of I won't say gay, because that's inappropriate, but it's uh that that topic isn't something that we um have a whole uh a lot of time and we don't emphasize it a lot. But today I want to emphasize it because I think it's very important understanding that we are now in March. I feel like I just finished the print fasting, and now we are in March, heading into May. And um in due season, this weather's gonna start reflecting that we are uh closer to spring. Right now, there's five inches in the floor. Uh there was snow, it's demonic. Um, but anyway, I want you to turn with me to uh a passage in the scripture, and it is found in 1 Corinthians 7 29. Thank you. 7 29. One thing about Pastor Dollas her head is big. She's got a big head. She's got a big head. Sorry about the shadow on my face now. Now it looks ominous. Okay, but I say this, believers, the time has been shortened so that from now on, even those who have wives should be as though they did not. Okay, I want you to uh uh go back there and I want you see it. I want you to see it in the NIV. Give it to me in the NIV, maybe the NLT. But I say this, believers, the time has shortened. But let me tell you this, dear brothers and sisters. The time that remains is very short. Period, punto, period. The time that remains is very short. And I want you to understand that because if you understand that time is the most valuable thing that we have, um, then you're gonna start acting. You're gonna start acting correctly, you're gonna start uh pursuing things with this understanding that uh time is of the essence, it's essential for um everything that God has called us to do. And so once we understand that, then we there's a pep in our step. The the days of you like just um delaying what God has told you to do, those days have to be completely done away with because I am now a mother of a 13-year-old. And it's fun, exactly. It's funny because uh I had my my nieces and my nephew over yesterday, and um my niece is five years old, and I remember Camila being five years old, and I I saw the little socks, she just takes off her shoes and her socks and just leaves them in the middle of the hallway. And I looked down at them, and in in the this morning I didn't even pick it up because it was so sweet. I'm gonna I'm gonna take a picture and show it to you guys. But it's it's still there, and I don't even want to move the socks, they're just two little, little teeny tiny socks, tot socks, right in the middle of my hallway. And me and Camila were just like, oh, that's so sweet, just driving her uh to school this morning because I understand that was Camila like three minutes ago. And now Camila is with me and she's getting ready to drive. She's a 13-year-old. Shut up, Olivia's crying. Uh, you know, so so all of that time, it flew by. It literally goes by so fast. And I want you to understand that we don't have a lot of time. And the Bible says the time is short. Uh, it's the the Bible also talks about it being the last hour. I don't even believe we're in the last hour. I believe we're in the last minute of the last hour. That's how close the coming of Jesus Christ is. And so if we understood that and we took that very seriously, then all of a sudden our actions are gonna prove what it is that we really believe. If you believe that Jesus is coming back quickly, then there is a lot of things that we have to do. There's a lot of things that we have to uh be responsible for. And one of those things is understanding that if we delay in our obedience to God, we don't really take it seriously. We aren't really taking time seriously. I've I've been with the big wigs, I've been in in coaching sessions, I've heard them all. And one of the things that keeps circling back, they all keep circling back to is this understanding of how precious time is. It's no longer when you start getting into the upper echelon of success and excellence, it's no longer about uh the systems, it's no longer about the money, it's no longer about the homes or the cars that people drive. It's all about the time. What can we do to maximize the time? To maximize the hour. And that's how I want you to start thinking today. I want you to start thinking from here on out, how can I maximize the hour that we're living in? How can I maximize the time that I've been given, albeit short, we don't have a lot of time here on earth, but we can create a lot of impact because the Bible even talks about God redeeming the times for us. So you might even think, man, I'm I'm not where I should be. But here's the beautiful thing about God is that when you repent and you make it right with God, and then you start saying, Lord, not only repentance, let me tell you what repentance is, because I don't think lots of people know what repentance is.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

We're getting somewhere here.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Hi, uh, Chad or whatever the hell your name is. Um what does repentance mean?

SPEAKER_03 8:21

Well, you can just call me your friendly chat. Repentance at its core means recognizing that you've done something wrong, feeling genuine regret about it, and then making a conscious decision to turn away from that path, changing your behavior or mindset. In a spiritual sense, it often involves seeking forgiveness and aiming to live in a better, more aligned way going forward. It's not just about feeling bad, it's about a meaningful shift in direction.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

A meaningful shift in direction. It's not about feeling bad, it's a meaningful shift in the right direction. Dot that down. That's a powerful, that's a powerful definition. So it's not about what you think it is, it's not about the feelings. Yeah, we feel bad about that, sure, but that's not the be all end all. You know, it's a meaningful shift in the right direction.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

I want to tell mom you said, she just said try this cup of coffee, but it might be watered. Why would I want to do that? It's just it's hot, but it's good.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Look at my hair.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

My voice went, okay. That's why I'm wearing the hat. That's okay. That's fine. Too dry. It's too clean. The problem is that it's minus two outside. And it should be spring, so I should be golfing right now. Can I? I think I was golfing last year.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Um, on the heels of talking about like the uh dry dryness, I had a patch of dry skin on my nose and in my forehead. That's that's what I said. This one's dece. Do you want to try it?

SPEAKER_00 10:10

I don't. What are you talking about today?

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Repentance. But I'm talking about repentance right now, but I'm actually talking about the the value of time and how we have to carpa diem.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Ah, okay. Yes, he's the day.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Uh but I I started off with the the time is shortened, and it's the reality that Camila is 13 years old, and yesterday, your daughter, your sassy daughter. Why would anybody do that to me? Why would anybody do this to me?

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Is Rom that's too much. Okay, Rom.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

That's Aura. That's baby Anna. That's baby Aura. Don't you never grow up. Don't you never grow up. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. That just happened, what, two weeks ago? She fell asleep like.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

She was so bored. You're so funny. What a laugh.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

I love you. Oh my goodness. Wom and Weichou, you need to hang out with me. She would say that. She said that.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

I can't. Look at how cute she is.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

That's too much. That's too much.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

And now she's 13 years old, and I want to throw myself off a bridge. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

That was literally like a day after. That was the day after. I dressed her in that outfit, too.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

We didn't expect for her to be that big. So all the newborn stuff, she looked like that. Sumo wrestler. Yes. Nothing fit. Sumo wrestler. And that was the swaddle. She always had one hand. She had her hand out and pushed the thing. She hated the swaddling. She was nine pounds 16 ounces. Look at the size of her head. It was a little bowling ball. But it's so much hair. Oh my gosh, she had wobanabs and stuff. Anyway, so that happened two days ago. Yes. And now Ellie was at the house and there was socks on the floor. And we, me and Camila, we refused to pick up the socks. We just stare at them and go, oh. Because it's like that there it is, a five-year-old, now 13. Like it just happened so fast. And like for me, I soaked up. One of the things that I'm very proud about in my life is that I soaked up every moment with that my daughter. Absolutely. She, you could, she and I were one unit. Like if it wasn't, if Camila wasn't gonna be there, neither was I. And vice versa. Because she was my little comadre, okay? And it's like we went everywhere together, we did everything together. And I I seriously soaked it up. And what a tragedy it would have been if looking back on it, I was just a stressed-out mom like I did in the first portion of her life. Like, you know, ages one to three, I was just stressed out of my mind for no reason either. It was just things that a narrative that I was following in my head, right? And and then I created that reality and it it it zapped three years of of of uh you know bliss with my daughter just because I followed that stupid narrative. And it's such a waste of time. Fear is a time killer. And I want you to know that because once you you understand that one of the biggest enemies to time and and and and and whatever is fear. It's true. And if you allow fear to come in, it zaps you of one, your strength, and two, you your ability to maximize the time that you're living in. Because if you understand that we're in the last days, then you also have to understand that there is something that you must do. So I was talking about the reality of um repentance, true repentance. And when when you're saying I'm sorry, it's not just about um a feeling, right? It's about restructuring your life. Correct. So uh the chat GPT said a meaningful shift in the right direction. That's right. You've got to do that.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

So so if we're doing that, that means that our our like uh our methodology, our mindset, they are the words that we use, they all have to shift to go in the right direction. Correct. Yes. And if we're not headed in the right direction, then we are we're in trouble. And so most people miss it here because they're disobedient to the to the voice of God. And so I was talking about the redeeming the times because obviously the time is short, but understanding that that if I do my part and truly re repenting of that, that God can help me out. Yeah, he'll redeem the times, he will redeem the times for you, and so do not delay, huh?

SPEAKER_00 15:29

What does that mean?

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Redeeming the time?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Yeah, he you tell me. Well, that's what I'm saying. It's like you gotta be careful with the Christian's like lingo, because it's like redeeming the time, praise God! What does that mean? Though, what does redeeming the times mean? And it's meaning that even though, like for me, what redeeming the times means is even though you have started, because a lot of times what we see is that there is a chasm between somebody who has been in church for 20 years versus somebody who's a new believer. And so these new believers start thinking that they have to go through, well, there, I'm still a novice, I'm still a new believer, and so on and so forth, instead of realizing that God has redeemed the times, and now you like you don't have to catch up to somebody who's been practicing a like a Christian faith for 20 or 30 years. Right. You are now like equal.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

You know what I'm saying? So you don't have to, well, obviously, you should be well learned, you should be trained in the word and all that kind of stuff. But the way that God sees it is that you've been grafted in, and that's like a redemption of the times. It's like you don't have to suffer, you don't have to, you know, um experience plagues or or die on a on a cross, you have been grafted in. And so, anyways, does that make sense?

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Like, go go to Ephesians 5, 6 so that you can see what we're talking about. Redeeming the times, for the times are evil. It's not short, but the time is evil, right? And so if we know that we're living in this last generation because we are the last generation, uh Jonathan was preaching about it over in in Washington State with Russ. How we are, this is not like a cute thing. We are the last generation. Before it was like, oh, uh, you know, it was just like a vague approach. But now we understand the signs of the time and we understand that this generation, according to scripture, shall not pass from the scene before the coming of Christ. That was when when Israel became a nation again back in 1948. That's that's Donald Trump's era. Was he born in 1948? When was Donald Trump born?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Let me see.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

So when you look at our uh uh DJT, I want you to see that's the generation that cannot pass from the scene before the coming of Christ. What is it?

unknown 17:44

1946.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

1946. 1946. This generation, there was a generation that was earmarked to not pass before the scene. That was uh Israel came in as a nation in 1948, right? Did I make that up? 1948, and so that's two years later. He was two years old. That generation will not pass from the scene, according to scripture, before the coming of Christ. So if we understand, we're not talking about a teenager. DJT is not a teenager, he's not a young adult, he's a grandpa. So when we know that, then we've got to be able to to decipher the the times that we're living in. Ephesians 5, 16 says, redeeming the time because the days are evil, redeeming the times because the days are evil. They're evil days. Let me see it in the amplified. I've not read it in the amplified. Making the very most of the time, powerful. Making the very most of the time, buying up each opportunity. Well said, Bible, because the days are evil. This is what I want you to do from here on out. Making the very most of the time, buying up each opportunity. See, we've got to be intentional. When I'm buying something, I'm being intentional about what the purpose for that thing is. I'm not just going out and and buying a canoe when there's not a lake of water anywhere near me. Do you know what I'm saying? Yes. You're not gonna do that. Stop playing around.

unknown 19:25

Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

So we've gotta be able to buy that opportunity and have it be applicable for our lives. Let's stop wasting time. That's right. What are we doing? Wasting time, doing nothing that's going to empower us for uh for the now and the future. And that word redeem is to buy back, to rescue, to make full use of something valuable. So redeeming the time quite literally means to take back the time from waste, distraction, and darkness. And then we use it, see, because therein lies. It's not just about understanding. Oh, we wasted our time. Reestablish the order, reassess your mindset, your words, your actions, and start doing things that are going to be in alignment with the will and the word of God. It is not enough for you to just feel sorry about it. It's it's about time that we start restructuring our lives to really embody what it is that we believe. And so use it, use it intentionally for what matters to God. So, so it it's it's not just about the feels, it's about restructuring your very life to fall in alignment with with the the will of God for your life. What is the will of God for your life? It's found right here in between these pages. It's right here in the books of uh uh uh in the in the pages of this book. You can find everything you need right here. This is the will of God for your life. And so we we've got to be able to structure that. It's not okay, I I disobeyed this, but that but but now what are you gonna do? What are the measurements uh uh what what's what are the the the the the things that you're gonna implement in your day-to-day life that is gonna structure you into success. Does that make sense? Yes. So you gotta understand delayed obedience is disobedience, okay? Don't hesitate. You don't need another word. This is for somebody here, okay? Don't need another daggone word. I'm just looking for a word if you could just prophesy over it. No, you already know what you gotta do. Okay? He already told you two dang third three times, maybe 15 times. And you still want, no. Quit wasting time. Quit delaying. Can you say hallelujah? Hallelujah. John 3.8 says the wind blows where it will. Listen, I want you to understand this. The the the the the the the the Holy Spirit is on a different plane. It's on a different, it's it he's he's in a different dimension. He's not confined to time and space, okay? So when when I talk about uh functioning in in the wind of the Holy Spirit or or um in the on the in the speed of the Holy Ghost, I want you to get intoxicated with this reality because there is uh a place where the Holy Spirit redeems the times. And so I often say that the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting because that's exactly what he's very good at. And so it might be that you have been in a deficit in a certain area for a very long time, but once you do, once you repent, you ask God, I'm sorry, I I've I've disobeyed in this area, but now I want, I want to make it right. Now you're gonna ask the Holy Spirit to get into that situation because I'm I'm I'm practically walking you through the steps that you have to take in order to redeem the times, okay? So right now there might be something that you were disobedient to God about. So what are you gonna do? You're gonna repent. A man that stings, I know I missed it. Father, give me another chance. Have mercy on me. One of the most powerful prayers that you could pray as a believer. Father, have mercy on me. That mercy's gonna come. The Holy Spirit's going to direct you, He's going to lead you, and make no mistake about it, He's the one that does the heavy lifting. And so, what you think is gonna take 15 years to climb out of, it doesn't take 15 years. It takes one moment for it all to clear away. And I'm telling you this with certainty because I've seen it over and over and over again. I remember uh multiple times this happening where there's been different pressures and different people that were um in our team, maybe it different influences in our lives, where all of a sudden I started to feel some kind of way. I was like, that doesn't seem right. Why does that not seem right? And now, mind you, these are spiritual people, these are spiritual influences, these are our brothers and sisters in Christ. So what Lolly wasn't gonna do was try to get in in the system, get in the way, and try to figure things out. Why is this not working? Why are they saying this? Why is this happening behind the scenes? This isn't right. Look at the betrayal here. I just I stepped away and I said, Lord, you take care of it. And see, our position is always to make sure that our heart is right before the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

You shouldn't do that. It's not worth it.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Are you gonna offer me something different?

SPEAKER_00 25:22

So I'm gonna keep drinking it. Do you want a like an energy drink? Because if you pray, like Lord, remove the achens in the camp. And then just let let all that kind of stuff just surface. How many happens is that's powerful. How many times has that happened? I mean, it happens all of the time. Where it's like to the point where like, well, that we didn't expect that one. This is why I don't understand how people live without the Holy Spirit, especially in this day and age. Because if I didn't have the Holy Spirit, I would be thinking, I would be living under a rock thinking that aliens are gonna come and um no question.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

You'd be high out of your mind or something. Maybe drunk, drizzies, drizzy drunks.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

But you can do it, there's a better way of doing it, and that is with the Holy Ghost.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

And the Holy Ghost speeds things up. That's what I was drawing. I was gonna come, I was full circle moment here. Yes, but it was that understanding that's like, oh my gosh, we've like, you know, this is happening, this is happening, but I'm gonna make sure that I'm gonna step away from it and just allow the Holy Spirit to help lead us, guide us. And you know what? Since he does the heavy lifting, all of that is gonna come, the the true motives of an individual, they're all gonna come to the surface. And sure enough, yeah, sure enough. And so what I thought was gonna be this long drown out thing in in what was it, a week? A week? I literally told Jonathan when when when a certain thing was happening, mind your business, it does matter. Uh, but oh I I literally told him what I'm saying. I I told him when we were on vacation in August of 2024. Uh-huh. Um, because he was still like, you know, in it, you know. And so I said, listen, I just want you to know everything is gonna be exposed by September. Before your birthday, everything is gonna be exposed. The the true heart intent, you know, the the true heart motive, uh, motives and and the the intentions, all of that is gonna be uh just it's gonna float right to the surface, and you're gonna see it with your own eyes, and you're gonna make the moves accordingly. And so this is years and years and years of of of a fantastic relationship and you know, all this kind of stuff. And then within two weeks, and I told her, I was like, didn't I tell you? And I didn't have to try to like coerce it. I wasn't texting anybody, what did this person say? What did that person say? No, I just rely on the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gets it done, and it's supernaturally fast, and so it is. I was just talking to a uh a friend of mine. Uh we're we're we're we're kind of like casting visions, you know. And uh I said, you gotta know what's coming out. What did you give for tithes and offerings? Because that's what I that's what I use when I pray. And so just the other day, we needed a million dollars. And we sat, me, Max, and Patrick. I said, Patrick, how much money did we sow last year? And he immediately, 5.3, 5.2, something like that. Um, and I said, okay, so what can we believe God for? We can believe God for the 30, the 60, and the hundredfold. And you know what? I'm gonna, because I'm I'm maximizing the hour, I'm maximizing the time, I ain't bothering with the 30 and 60, I'm going for the hundred. So at the very least, we should be getting a million dollars a week. And I said, let's believe for the million dollars. And you know what? In less than 12 days, we had the check of a million dollars. Jonathan went to pick it up. The week after that, there was a check of a million. Or whatever it was, a million dollars. This week, close to a million. It would have been a million uh again, um uh with with just uh the the one meeting, whatever. So, you know, it God's supernatural hand is upon this. But here's the thing, it doesn't happen automatically, they must be activated. And so if we remain in a state of of delusion and and and you're asleep at the wheel, you're gonna miss some of the most fantastic things if you just set your heart and your mind to believe the word and go after it like never before. As bad as the situation might be, God can turn it around in one moment's time.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

So that's what you've got to get intoxicated with. It's like this, because the times are short, everything has to work exponentially faster. Because God, the Bible says, is no debtor to an individual. So whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. So God, when he comes up or when he comes down uh uh from heaven to pick us up, you think he's gonna be uh owing anybody a daggon thing? No. He's he he ain't he's not owing anybody anything. So that means if I sow a seed back in 1960, it could have taken me probably a decade to see that return because you know Christ is not yet come. But now we know that we I I don't know how many uh years we've got left. I'm not gonna try to guess here. I mean, I have a general idea, but you know, I I understand that now whatever I give, everything has to return like exponentially fast. So it's a compounded effect. It's a it's it's it's we're we're we're no longer just like slightly on the increase. It is parabolic. It's like whoop. And so if you have that in mind, then you're gonna start thinking different and you're gonna start acting different and you're gonna start giving different, right? Because you understand this is too valuable for me to just sit on. And so call it out. Understand the time, it's on my side. Time is on my side, yes, it is. Is that the the lyrics? I'm just gonna go with it. Um, and make it make it work for your benefit. God, that there isn't much time. My family needs to be saved. I am I I'm pressing in like never before in prayer and fasting, and I pray right now that by Easter of this year you would help me win my my family to you in Jesus' name. Open up those conversations that would bring them in. Father, let your goodness be displayed in my life because the word of God says it's the goodness that draws men to repentance. Father, let them see your goodness in my life. Pray prayers like that and have time frames on it. I want this done by this time. I'm I'm gunning for that five million dollars. I'm seeing it right now, so that when we get the five million dollars and be like, I told you so. And then it was it's 10 million after that. But I gotta see the five first, according to Jesse Duplannis. And I'm telling you, yeah, that's my spiritual overhead, that's the that's the spiritual dad. And he said it's and he looked, he's like, stop believing for the million. It's time for the five and ten. I said, Okay, yes, sir. We'll do that. And so we're gonna do that. And so I want you I want you to come in on that ride because time's too short. And I'm gonna stop it right there because I went over the time. But you know, we'll we'll get back to the the importance of of time. But like, you know, when it comes to like the the the areas in your life where you've disobeyed and you've not, you know, you've not done what God's called you to do. It's time to repent and it's time to ask God for the plan out, for the for for the plan, for for the blueprint in that direction. And then construct your life. You know, build it so that it's in alignment with what he says. Because I'll tell you what, it doesn't matter what you say and what you believe. I I know what it is that you say and believe by the actions, by the output in your life. I can say that I am a gym rat. But if you don't see no muscles on me, if I'll you know what I'm saying? There's gonna be a problem. Somebody's lying here. And that's what it's like. Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for the people that have had brain damage to my left. Uh, I pray that we'd all be aware, hyper-aware of the importance of time. And like it, like it's been brewing on me in me since Camila turned 13. It's crazy how fast time goes. And I pray that we'd be a lot more sensitive to this understanding that the the days are evil and the time is short. And we've gotta act now. We gotta act fast. And with your Holy Spirit, you lead us and guide us, and you literally help us to redeem the times. So, Father, I pray that each person would have that understanding today and make that their lives fit into that belief in Jesus' name. Whatever it is that's holding them back, whatever it is that they've been delaying to do, uh, that you've called them to do, I pray that uh they would uh put that all away, that they'd repent and then structure their lives accordingly, Father. In the mighty name of Jesus, we love you, we honor you, and we thank you for your goodness. And all God's people said.

unknown 34:32

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Amen. See ya.