Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

commitment

Prepared for Persecution

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My heart broke when I read about a recent occurrence in North Korea. That country is second only to Afghanistan in being the most dangerous place for Christians to live (see Open Doors’ “World Watch List”). Government officials raided a secret church meeting of believers. Everyone in attendance was arrested and then summarily executed.

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Without warning and without having had the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, these dear brothers and sisters were removed from the face of the earth. From the moment they gave their lives to Christ, they knew they were living on borrowed time. They knew the risk of meeting together. They prepared for persecution the best they could and found Jesus worth the cost. But the story gets worse.

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Time is Fleeting

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In recent days, I’ve again been struck by how fleeting time is and how incumbent upon us it is to make the most of it. I’ve written previously on this topic (see “Time Keeps on Slipping”, “Time is Running Out”, and “Time is Short”) but am compelled to do so again because when I look at my life and the lives of other believers around me, I am convinced we still don’t get it. We are here for only a little while. In consideration of eternity, our lives don’t even register as a blip on the radar.

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James tells us our life is like smoke, appearing for a moment and then quickly vanishing (James 4:14) Most of us, especially when we are younger, think little of death and feel somewhat invincible. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our outlook on time matters when we are endeavoring to live as disciples of Jesus.

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The Long View

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The world takes the short view of things, but Christians must take the long view. It’s another way of saying followers of Christ must live with an eternal rather than temporal perspective. While we should cherish every moment entrusted to us by God, we must live in such a way as to always be living for what will matter 10,000 years from now, not what will matter tomorrow.

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Life as a Jesus follower should never be about instant gratification or momentary pleasure. We have an eternal purpose and must live accordingly. Don’t get caught up in the things of this world and seek to improve your place in it. Instead, train your desires toward things that last and will glorify God.

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Prayer is the Antidote

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Prayer is the antidote for all the ills of society. It is a magnificent weapon to wield against the forces of darkness permeating our world. The core of all that is wrong with humanity is a spiritual sickness brought on by demonic forces, and we fight against them with prayer.

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Satan has been at war with mankind since the beginning of time, and he only grows more vicious with each passing hour. Neither physical weapons nor the best of intentions are any match for Satan. We must fight this battle in the spiritual realm, and nothing but the Word of God is more effective than prayer in battling the forces we cannot see.

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The New Command

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As Jesus was having His last conversation with His disciples before His crucifixion, He gave them a new command for living. We read this in John 13:34-35. The new command was to love each other, just as Christ loves us. It’s important to note Jesus said this command was a hallmark of being His disciple. People will recognize we follow Jesus by the love we display for others.

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Unless we love those around us, we will never be a disciple of Christ. God’s very nature is love, so if we want to look and live like Jesus, we must love people. Without love, we’re just making noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). Unless we love, we will never make a difference in this world.

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