Even If i Walk Alone

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

Luke

Jesus Knew

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All of us would prefer to live a life free of persecution. No one wakes up thinking, “Wow, I hope someone will persecute me today!” But everyone who calls Jesus Lord knows persecution will come their way. For some, it will be physical, for some mental, and for others, it will be social persecution. No matter how it manifests itself, Jesus promises we will face persecution in this world (John 15:20).

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For some, that one fact is enough to make them reject Christ. It’s a hard sell for most people. They can’t see past this life here and now and understand what they will gain by receiving Christ and holding fast until the end. The promise of persecution is enough to make anyone hesitant and nervous. Jesus knew the persecution that was coming, and He didn’t flinch. Instead, He embraced it for you.

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We Don’t Pray as We Should

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I’m embarking on a new book project examining the prayers of the Bible. Inspired by hearing a preacher state that our prayers are vastly different from those found in God’s Word, I began looking into it. While only in the early stages of my project, the evidence is already overwhelming that we don’t pray as we should. We know humans are prideful and selfish, but nowhere is that more obvious than in the content of our prayers.

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This is especially true in the Western world, but I fear it is becoming more widespread as the teachings of Western Christianity spread throughout the globe. Knowing prayer is fundamental to our growth in Christ, we will do well to revisit the examples of prayer given by those who have gone before us.

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Our Brothers and Sisters

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“Christians in other nations are not a topic about which we can be uninterested or a cause that we can occasionally champion. They are our family, our brothers and sisters for eternity,” writes Voice of the Martyrs president Cole Richards. Violence against Christians is ramping up in many nations. As the days grow shorter and evil increases, the people of God are increasingly finding themselves the target of man’s hostility.

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Because we may still have a modicum of religious freedom where we live is no excuse to forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering. We should be on our knees every day praying for their strength, perseverance, and deliverance. We must also realize that the same persecutions are coming for us, and we must be ready to stand with the same resolve as our brothers and sisters.

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Human Trafficking and Slavery

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Recently I watched the movie, “Sound of Freedom,” which details some of the horrors of human trafficking and slavery. For reasons I cannot fathom after viewing the film, the media has done their best to demonize the film, calling it right-wing conspiracy and political fodder. There is nothing remotely political in the film, and aside from the quoting of a Bible verse, nothing to identify it as any sort of Christian film. There is also no shortage of controversy surrounding the real-life protagonist of the film and his organization.

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But all of that is just noise to distract from the very real tragedy of human trafficking. Of course, exact statistics on the number of people trafficked or enslaved are impossible to gather, but conservative estimates are 25 million individuals trafficked each year, and close to 50 million who are living in modern-day slavery. These are not numbers any follower of Jesus should be comfortable with.

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Is It What You Expected?

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How long have you been a Christian? No matter your answer, I have a question for you: “Is it what you expected?” When you came to acknowledge Christ as your Lord and Savior, what did you imagine would be the result? Increasingly, I see Christians encouraging someone down on their luck by pulling random verses out of context and assuring those people that God has big plans for them if they will only trust in Jesus.

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In one sense, those well-wishers are correct. God has big plans for everyone who calls on His name. He plans to give them eternal life and bring them into His presence forever. There couldn’t be a bigger plan. But I know this isn’t what these people have in mind. Too many so-called Christians today have believed the lie that believing in Jesus is the way to success, health, and wealth in this life now.

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