Even If i Walk Alone

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

Luke

The Hardest Part

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From the research I’ve done on persecution, the hardest part is not the persecution itself, but the preparation before it begins. Standing firm in the face of pain or injustice is a small thing if one dedicates their life to living in full obedience and surrender to Christ (Philippians 1:27-28). The hard work comes before. The real difficulty is the lifetime of saying no to the pleasures and temptations of this world.

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There are countless stories of people persevering through hard times. But how many examples can you recount of people putting aside their dreams, passions, and desires so they can devote themselves to Christ? How many people are dying to themselves every day and picking up their cross (Luke 9:23)?

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Fear of Dying

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The fear of dying is one of the top two fears afflicting people. Some research states it is the most common fear, while other studies place it second behind public speaking. I couldn’t find any concrete numbers detailing what percentage of Christians fear death, but over the years, I have heard more than a few believers express a fear of dying.

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That’s a little hard for me to get my head around because true followers of Christ want nothing more than to spend eternity with Him. We can’t do that until we die. To my mind, it is irrational for someone who believes in the resurrection of Jesus to have any fear of dying. We might fear the circumstances that lead to our death, but dying itself should fill us with nothing but hope and joy (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Philippians 1:21-23).

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God Is in Control

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When times are uncertain, it’s not uncommon to hear a fellow believer remind you that God is in control. I’ve heard this so many times in my life that it borders on being trite and just something you say to comfort someone. We mustn’t let our brains cast this truth aside in such a trivial way. The fact God is in control is one of the most important things to remember in life.

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Most of the world is in chaos, and almost all our lives are chaotic as well. Some days, all the uncertainty makes it difficult to even get out of bed, much less accomplish something for the Kingdom of God. It is in times like these we must remember there is nothing happening in our world that surprises or perplexes God. He is not panicking or wondering what to do (Isaiah 46:9-10).

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Wasting Our Time

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I have little time for small talk and even less patience for trivial conversations. It’s not that I’m a jerk, I just have a keen awareness of how little time we have left on earth. My focus is on making the most of the time God entrusts to me (Ephesians 5:15-16). I like sports. I have political opinions. But we have to talk about things that matter, things of consequence.

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Our conversation reflects what fills our hearts (Matthew 12:34), and if what fills our hearts are things having no eternal value, we are in serious trouble. We’re wasting our time on things that are passing away instead of investing it in God’s eternal Kingdom (1 John 2:17).

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Living a Holy Life

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That persecution is coming is a certainty (2 Timothy 3:12). For many, it will be the first time you experience it, so there is an urgent need to be prepared. In studying the topic, I’ve come to understand that preparation isn’t so much in learning how to deal with what may come, but how to order your life now. Living a holy life is the ultimate preparation for withstanding persecution.

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Unless we have a foundation of holiness, each of us will crumble like houses made of sand (Matthew 7:26-27). If you want to stand strong in the fire, you must fireproof yourself before the flames arrive. The closer we are to Christ before persecution comes, the better we will withstand whatever form it takes.

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