DIFFICULT TIMES WILL COME, BUT YOU…
Recently, there has been so much pain and confusion in our country and the world. I don’t watch the news, but I get tidbits of information on my phone or on YouTube. And lately, it has been horrendous with all the killings, wars, innocent lives lost, and disease on the rise again. The pain is way too much for me to handle, so I don’t. I pray, because the prayers of the righteous are powerful in making a difference in our world. Then, I give all the pain I see and hear to my Lord, and say, “Jesus, I pray against the powers of darkness and the strongholds of the evil one who seeks to destroy your creation. And, I turn my heart and mind to you, because You are my Peace, and the Savior of the whole world, I rest in you.” How about you? What do you do when you see or hear about the atrocities in our world? Our Lord had something to say about the trials we would face in the last days when He is no longer here in the flesh and what we must do.
Matthew 24 4:14 (Amplified)
“Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].
5 For many will come in My name [misusing it and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many.
6 You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age].
7 For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].
9 “Then they will hand you over to [endure] tribulation, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
10 At that time, many will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will fall away [from the One whom they should trust] and will betray one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will hate one another.
11 Many false prophets will appear and mislead many.
12 Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved.
14 This good news of the kingdom [the gospel] will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end [of the age] will come.
Our Lord said there would be rumors of wars, nation against nation, false prophets would arise, and lawlessness would increase. But the one who endures through it all will be safe in Him. Amid all this pain and suffering, the Good News of the Gospel will be spread around the whole world. So amazing!
Finally, our brother Timothy also shared the sentiments of our Lord.
2 Timothy 3 1:7, 14-15 (Amplified)
But understand this, that in the last days, dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear].
2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane,
3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, callous and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good,
4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.
6 For among them are those who work their way into homes and captivate morally weak and spiritually dwarfed women weighed down by [the burden of their] sins, easily swayed by various impulses,
7 always learning and listening to anybody who will teach them, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
BUT AS FOR YOU
14 But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them,
15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness].
Matthew 11:28 (Amplified) Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].”
Isaiah 41:10 (Amplified) Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].
Ephesians 6:10-11 (Amplified) In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.
11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
Yes, we are facing dangerous times, and they will continue. But here’s the most amazing thing, we are never alone. The God who set the planets in order and calmed the raging seas lives within us!
GREATER IS HE WHO LIVES WITHIN US
THAN ALL THE CHAOS IN THE WORLD!
ENJOY CHRIST, ENJOY ZOE OUR LIFE!
4 thoughts on “DIFFICULT TIMES WILL COME, BUT YOU…”
Spectacular! This is so helpful to keep perspective. Thank you for sharing how you personally
handle hearing of all the hard stuff and the evil and suffering in the world…love you, sister.
Thank you! So glad it blessed you.
This is very timely Tresca, I worry for those with health conditions on how they handle all these bad news, but the reminder is, Greater is He that is in is than he that is in the world. The killing of innocent lives and destruction here and there is hard to take, but God knows and He will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you Tresca for this reminder.
Yes, very difficult. Because GOD LIVES WITHIN US, He feels what we feels, and sees and hears what we see and hears. So, we give all of our cares, anxieties, and fears to Him. Yes, HE CANNOT LEAVE US… HE IS ONE WITH US, NOT IN THE SKY SOMEWHERE.
I love you Sweet One!!