Even If i Walk Alone

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

faithfulness

Prepare for Persecution

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What is certain, but not being preached from many pulpits today, is that persecution is coming. Why pastors are not preparing their flocks for the coming trouble is beyond me. I listen to sermons from various churches constantly as I seek to learn and understand more about God and His Word. What I’m not hearing from most pulpits (thankfully, there are a few exceptions) is an urgency to repent and prepare for what is coming.

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There is no talk of how to prepare for persecution, and resources on the topic seem scarce. But Jesus told us the world will persecute us because of His name (John 15:20-21; Matthew 24:9). Because most of us live in places where persecution has not been a reality in our lives, we’ve become lazy, blind to the signs of this age (Matthew 24:3-31), and so comfortable in this world that we are ill-prepared for the coming persecution.

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Be Faithful

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In a world where moral decline is progressively moving the ruling parties toward open hostility against Christians, it can cause a lot of anxiety concerning the future. That persecution is coming is no longer a question, but only a matter of timing now. How should we, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, respond in times like these? The only thing we know for certain is things will get worse before they get better with the second coming of our King.

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Until that day, I think the best thing we can do is to be faithful. One day we may be called upon to make the gut-wrenching decisions between freedom on earth or remaining loyal to Christ, between providing for our families or denying Jesus. Our steadfastness then will depend on how well-equipped we are to face those moments.

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Fear Makes Us Forget

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Nothing is so damaging to our faith as fear. Fear has a way of undermining everything we believe. We know God is bigger than anything we might face, but when we get a difficult diagnosis from our doctor, we fear the future. We forget the serious times in our lives through which God has already seen us. When we lose a job, we fear we’ll run out of money and forget God has promised to provide for our needs (Matthew 6:31-33).

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And while we know God is the essence of love, when we become afraid we’ll never find a spouse, or when we lose a spouse and feel the absence in our lives, we fear we’ll never know love again. Fear makes us forget what we know to be true.

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Stealing Time

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Time is rarely stolen from us. Except perhaps in the cases of kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment, or being detained without cause, time is never stolen from anyone. Instead, I propose our time is, for the most part, either given away or sold. We all have the same number of seconds available to us each day. We choose how much of our time will be given away, and how much will be sold.

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Every day we are charged to steward the time allotted to us in a way that honors God and furthers His mission and His Kingdom. If we are not vigilant, we will squander the time entrusted to us or sell it in exchange for our comfort, entertainment, and security.

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Always By Your Side

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How long has it been since you have marveled at the hand of God on your life? It seems we spend far more time beating ourselves up over things we could have done and opportunities we failed to seize, as opposed to taking the time to reflect on all that God has done for us and through us. We lose our self worth because we fail to recognize how much we are valued. We compare ourselves to others instead of understanding who we are in the eyes of Jesus. Each of us is significant; every one of us matters. We all have a role to play in the life that has been entrusted to us, but it is up to us to recognize it.

When we were small, God was there. Angels danced in celebration when we were born, and the eyes of God beamed in anticipation of all we might become for His glory. He watched over our growth and development while calling out to us all along the way. He slayed the monsters under our beds and held us steady as we rode a bicycle for the first time. It was He who healed us when we fell and dried the tears from our eyes when no one else was around. With each passing year, it was He who molded us, forming us into the person He designed us to become.

As teenagers, He watched over us through everything. He saw the things we did that we should not be doing, yet continued to love and call out to us. When we took the wheel of a car for the first time, He was there to protect and instruct us. When we had our hearts broken, He was there to put the pieces back together again. He was the friend we could always talk to regardless of the circumstances. He was the constant gardener, pruning the rough edges and shaping us into the person who would best serve His Kingdom.

As adults, God is still there. He is there when we embark on a career and face challenges and temptations we have never known. God is there when we commit our hand in marriage and He is there when we face the struggle of being alone. He sees our heartaches and He knows our pain. He longs to wrap us in His arms and give shelter from all the damage the world inflicts upon us. His voice still beckons us to follow and to find a life greater than we have ever imagined, one lived for His Kingdom and His glory. He has never forgotten the person He created us to be, yet He allows us to go another way if we should choose. He waits patiently, following close behind, longing for the moment we will return. He is our provider and our comfort. He is our constant help in trouble.

When all is said and done and we breathe our last, if we have been faithful to love and follow Him, we will meet Him face to face. At last we will truly understand the enormity of His love. We will marvel at His utter beauty and holiness. God has always been there, yet we have known Him only in glimpses and pieces of the truth. When we gaze upon His glory, we will look back and see that He has always been with us and wonder how we could have so often missed that fact. He is our redeemer, He is our Creator. In the end He will be our sustainer. Take some time to marvel at his love and worship Him as Lord of your life. He is always by your side; recognize His presence today and rest in His love.