There are still some rational people left, not many, but some. I wish I could categorize every follower of Christ as one of those, but alas, that is not possible.
Every conceivable reason is being given for the times we are going through, and there seems to be no end to the theories of what is to come next. The Scriptures are quite clear of course on some of these areas, wars and rumors of wars, (Matt. 24:6) signs in the heavens, (Acts 2:19) great perplexity among the nations, (Luke 21:25) all things that our Savior told us not to worry about, but there seems to be a lot of worrying going on in the Christian community. Fear brings anxiety, the lack of fear brings peace, and only the love that we are loved with (1 John 4:18) will cast all that fear out and bring that perfect peace upon us.
Can we have anxiety without fear? I do not think so, but it still shows up anyway, it is not the fear that lasts though, it is not something that stays with us day after day if we keep our mind on Christ. To keep every thought captive for Christ is to know peace, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3) The world has been lately, and will increase exponentially, attempting to make all who hear every newscast fear, with small glimmers of hope to keep you tuned in, they are doing all they can to spread the message they have been told to tell, destroy individuals by continually repeating that “If we all just pull together, we can get through this”
Small groups of protesters are attacked by the authorities whether they are inciting violence or not in many places, we are being told to fear what they have determined to be fearful, and the cattle are obeying at every turn. Those who serve Christ cannot join protests that are intended to incite violence, nor can they simply sit in their houses and hope things get better, the spiritually mature born-again believers on this planet are the only sane ones left, but we also will soon need to speak up, the truth when known and not spoken is a sin to us. The cost for some maybe very high, but the cost of serving Christ is nothing compared to the shame of dishonoring Him if we do not do so.
As our brothers and sisters that have gone to glory before us, we may also be asked to pay a heavy price, but it will not be so that we can prove our love for Christ, it will not be so that we can earn any type of reward, it will not even be so that we can be counted as faithful, it will be because we love Him who first loved us.
This is what a sinful, falling apart world cannot and never will understand, it is beyond their comprehension, all that we can do, all that we hold back from ourselves, is not because we fear punishment from the Lord, it is not because He may cause His anger or wrath to fall upon us, it is because He loves us.
The world is going to start requiring total obedience very soon, you will not be given any options, they will force us in one way or another to acquiesce to their demands. I do not know, and I may not be shown what will happen to those who disobey, not because of their principles, but because of the love of Christ that compels us to serve in every area, but I do know some of the history of those who served before us when their answer was an emphatic “No.”
Try to remember each day a very simple, short but heartfelt prayer for each of us who serve Christ with all of our hearts, just a little note to the Savior, if you will, not that we would be spared, for even Christ did not ask the Father for that for us, but instead that we would be protected from evil. (John 17:15) Pray for strength, courage, wisdom and trust if you like, but most of all pray that each of us would accept His will for our lives. If you do that for me, and I pray each day for you, then all of the born-again believers will be filled with the one thing that all of us need the most in these days to come, peace, a peace that passeth all understanding. (Phil 4:7)
