But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear] (2 Timothy 3:1- Amplified).
I’ve enjoyed my vacation thus far! And I’ve missed everyone at Victory! I’m looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.
The last week or so, I’ve been impressed of the Lord about the closeness of His coming for the church. We’re watching in real time some steadily increasing changes in the world at large that are beginning to have an impact on our present daily lifestyle. The perilous times of great stress and trouble are upon us!
This not a time to worry, but it is a time to prepare. Each day, we should spend time in the Word to keep our minds renewed from the filth of doubt and unbelief around us. And we need daily time in God’s presence in prayer to keep His holiness wrapped around us like a coat of armor.
Feeding our faith on the Word is a necessity right now. A wise person prepares for a storm well before the time it strikes. The Father had promised us His care, provision, and protection, but remember that it is our faith that overcomes the world. And faith comes from spending time in the Word.
Our faith is also built up as we act on what we believe. This is most often accomplished by simply speaking the Word out loud to the Father reminding Him of what we believe. He watches over His Word, and delights to hear it come out of our mouth!
During this hour, calamity could strike at any time. That’s why it’s so important to keep yourself built up on your faith. When things suddenly occur, you’ll be prepared and will be used by the Lord to minister to others.
There is an assault on truth today. Behind this assault is the scheming of the evil one who is seeking to minimize truth in the name of openness and diversity. Prepare to be criticized for what you believe. Prepare to be persecuted by well meaning people who will call you narrow minded and bigoted.
Our response is to walk in love and to speak truth in love. We never respond to criticism with angry retorts. But we must loving confront error with truth; truth in our words and truth in how we live our daily lives.
Notice what Jesus said about persecution: God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way (Matthew 5:10-12 – NLT).
Let’s be prepared for the days ahead. Jesus return is causing exactly what has been predicted by the prophets for thousands of years. And it looks as though we are the privileged generation that gets to watch it happen!
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