It has never, nor will it ever be the easy, popular thing to
follow Christ in this world. We are to expect the majority of people to laugh
at us for our beliefs, challenge our beliefs and accuse us of being things that
we are not, such as hateful or intolerant all because we stand up for what is
right. This can be a difficult spot to be in. However, it is more important
than ever to stand up for what is right even though we are going in the
opposite direction of what the world says is the “right” way to go. The Bible
tells us that we WILL be persecuted for our faith in Christ, so we need to
expect it. The important thing to do is to keep our eyes on him, no matter the
cost and remember that in the end, all wrongs will be made right and that our faith
will be rewarded.
II Timothy 4 states, “At my first defense, NO ONE came to my
support, but everyone deserted me…But the Lord stood at my side and gave me
strength…”(v 16-17) and “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and
will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” (v 18) This tells me that many
times, we will stand alone but not to lose heart because the Lord will give us
strength to do the right thing and not
only that, but he will rescue me from EVERY evil attack (and there will
be many!) Who else on this earth can promise that?! Anything worth something
comes with a cost, but the great news is we are not alone because the Lord will
give us strength and rescue us. We also have our brothers and sisters in Christ
to encourage us to keep the fight and not give up.
At times, I have felt like I am walking around battered and
bruised from the world. However, when I refocus and turn my eyes back on the
one I am living for, I gain new strength to fight another day. Sometimes I need
to be reminded to hold on to God’s promises and keep my eyes “on the prize.”
When I do this, the negativity of the world fades in comparison.
Every day, I am very grateful that I have hope in Him! This
world will pass away and everything in it, but God’s truth and our real home
will never pass away. Even though this world is getting worse and worse and
more difficult to live in every day, we still have hope! When you feel yourself
starting to slip away by the stress of life, re-adjust your focus and be
encouraged that no matter how bad things are here on earth, we have a hope that
will never pass away and a God who will never let us down! He stands true to
his promises and his mercies are new every single day!
A very encouraging verse comes to my mind when feeling the
effects of a world that constantly tries to beat us down. It is found in Psalm
91:7 which states, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your
right hand, but it will not come near you.” I strongly recommend reading all of
Psalm 91 for more encouragement in fighting this battle we call life,
especially in these last days. The harder the battle, the more profound his
protection over us.
If we are not careful, it is so easy to become discouraged
and even angered by the bad things going on around us. Sometimes it even feels
that evil is winning over good. We may even feel faint at heart and begin to
adopt “stinkin’ thinkin” which states, “Why bother even praying anymore when it
seems like evil is swallowing up the good in this world?” Good question. However,
prayer is of utmost importance at times like this. Can you imagine how things
would be if everyone got discouraged and decided to quit praying? If we did
that, then our loved ones who are unsaved may never accept Christ as their
savior. Because of your prayers, they may be in heaven and thank you then that
you prayed for them and did not give up. Or think about the times there is that
obvious glimmer of hope that comes out of a tragedy because of prayer. We are
deflecting much more that you know, simply because of our prayers. The Bible
tells us that prayers of a righteous man “availeth much” and there is great joy
in answered prayers! God still hears and answers our prayers, sometimes in
miraculous ways and sometimes so quietly that you almost miss it!
So, even though it seems like evil has the upper hand, do
not give up praying. Do not give up following Christ, our ONLY hope. Do not
forsake encouraging others to stand strong in their faith. We need to spur each
other on in this difficult journey called life as we go against the flow of
what is popular.
Those who live and die for themselves have no hope beyond
the grave, but those who stand firm to the end and put their trust in Him will
only REALLY begin to live after physical death on earth. This life is merely like
our “kindergarten,” and all of the lessons we learn now will prepare us for
eternal life. Are you ready?
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