More so than any other period in our lifetimes, the world seems packed with uncertainty. It’s hard to overlook the reality that something spiritually is taking place. There’s an escalation of activity in the spiritual realm, and although we don’t know when and what is going to take place, most of us are fairly certain that we’re sitting on a powder keg. In the not too distant future, something is going to explode, and if we are not spiritually preparing ourselves now, we will sorely regret it in the future.
What we see on the outside is a mirror reflection of what is happening on the inside. The global outward manifestation paints a picture of turmoil, hate, arrogance, disunity, and darkness at its worse. From this, we must surmise that the hearts of many people are far away from God. But we must not lose hope and faith. Psalm 91:1(NLT) states, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” For those of us who abide in the safe place of obedience to God, we need not be afraid because He has promised to protect us. Our allegiance to Him assures that we can rest in His covering continually. But for those that are on the fence when it comes to having faith in Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, now is the time to decide what side of the fence you’re going to own.
More than any other time in history, now is the time to get serious and focus on our relationship with God. The way to do this is to increase our faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6(NLT) states, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” God is our Creator. He created us in His own image, and His goal for us is to become like His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God wants us to live the way Christ lived and love the way Christ loved when he walked upon the earth.
Jesus Christ said in John 5:30(NLT), “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.” This is the pattern we’re supposed to follow. Our faith should be firmly anchored in God through Jesus Christ, and we should continually trust that God’s way is always the best way. His Will is always going to be best.
God doesn’t force us to follow His Will. He’s given each of us free-will agency. This means that we make our own choices and decisions. He didn’t create us to be robots. He made us to be self-governing, which means we choose what we’re going to do, think, feel, and say. It’s all up to us. We choose whether we will walk in God’s love or remain in darkness, but God’s heart is that everyone will choose to love Him, because He loves everyone.
Heavenly Father doesn’t need anything from any of us to be who He is. He is God all by Himself, but He is a God of love, and the most beautiful quality of His love is that it wants a target. The nature of love is to expand and grow by sharing, and this is what God does for us. He shares His love with us, and the way that we accept His love into our hearts is by having faith in HIS overwhelming, unconditional love. He has revealed this love through His Son, Jesus Christ! John 3:16(NKJV) declares, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Faith in God means that we believe and trust that His love for everyone is so great that He offered up His most beloved treasure, the life of His only begotten Son. He gave the life of Christ as a sin offering for the entire world.
Jesus Christ said in John 15:13(NKJV), “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” This is what he did for us. We must understand that Jesus Christ had free-will. He did not have to give his life, but because of his great love for us, his brothers and sisters, he endured the cross. Going back to John 5:30, we must remember that he declared he came to earth to do the Will of the Father, and not his own will. He set this pattern for each of us and lived it out with every breath he took. He said in John 8:29(NLT), “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” This is how you and I are commanded to live as well. We are to lay down our wills and our own personal agendas and choose to live according to God’s Will and plan for us, because this is the very best thing we can do for God and ourselves.
In this new year, we should commit ourselves to practically apply the Word of God to our daily lives in a greater way. As we go about our everyday routines, God expects us to communicate more about His Word and less about the world. Our confidence must not be in self-effort and what we can do in the flesh, our confidence must be in what God accomplished for us through the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. Whatever the programming we learned over the years, it’s time to renew our minds to God’s Word so that we grow in faith. God commands us to stack our way of doing things up against the standard of Christ, and if it doesn’t hold up, we should get rid of it. Our minds should be made new through God’s Word, and time is of the essence. We must do all we can to safeguard our faith and spiritually grow in Christ. As long as we are committed to God’s Word, He will continually be our Source of strength, protection, and care. We’ll desperately need this in the days ahead. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Strength for The Days Ahead”, written for 4theChristianman.com. Copyright© 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.