View from the Precipice

Doesn’t it feel like we are standing on a precipice  waiting to topple into darkness? Behind us lies our old, comfortable world. Ahead looks frightening and even dangerous and, yet, we have no choice but to move forward. Going back is impossible.

A question from someone yesterday gave me a thought that I’ve been mulling around in my head since then. It encouraged me so I decided to share here this morning, in hopes that you, too, will be encouraged.

First, I want you to think beyond material blessings regarding the world we are leaving. What do you see?

I see a compromised, worldly church. I see materialism and greed and self-absorption. There we find mysticism flourishing, strife of every kind, and very confused Christians. If we take an honest look back, it really isn’t that great from the perspective of a believer.

So we are moving into something different. Something unknown. Something that looks scary.

But as we think about what’s ahead, I am beginning to wonder if we are little like the person who has been fed hamburger their whole life and is getting ready to eat, for the first time ever, a big juicy steak.

As I have been reflecting on the many biographies I’ve read of Christian men and women and also on the personal testimonies I’ve heard, I can’t help but think that, while the road ahead may be difficult for believers, it may also be very rewarding.

Think about some of the possible good things that could very result from our new world–

Fake Christians will fall away. The murky, shallow Christianity that has made up most of America (and perhaps the rest of the western world) will fall away in the face of hatred and persecution. No one is going to stand up for biblical Christianity or have anything to do with it at all unless they are truly saved.

We will be blessed with clarity. The wicked world will reject us like never before and this will give us a much clearer picture of sin and worldliness. Those “gray areas” will diminish and maybe even disappear.

God will show Himself in our need. Let’s face it, we have had very little opportunity to see God at work because we have been over-supplied and have had very few needs. At least here in America. As we start facing harder times, we will be able to see God work in ways previously impossible. We’ve read about these kinds of things but we are getting ready to experience them ourselves!

Our walk with God will grow deeper. As the worldly comforts fall away and we are rejected by the world, we will be forced to turn to God and His Word for strength and comfort. This will, inevitably, lead us to grow deeper roots of faith and sanctify us in ways that were, before, impossible.

Our fellowship with the remnant believers will grow stronger. I’ve noticed this already. The kinship that we have with like-minded believers is stronger now than ever, as we cling to each other in the midst of the unknown and the unpleasant. God has given us each other to strengthen, support, and encourage each other. As we take a look back into our old world, most of us led lives that were far too busy for relationships. We led lives that were full of activity but very lacking in fellowship. I believe this will change as we move forward into this new world.

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And so I hope we all realize that the good things ahead aren’t just eternal. I believe there are some temporal good things that await if we can just turn aside from our fear and dread and trust the Lord. Yes, our ultimate hope is the rapture. But, if the Lord tarries, His grace and strength will be enough. This is a promise!

(I hope that I am encouraging you as I am processing everything that is happening along with you and desire nothing more than to honor the Lord in my response. This can be a real struggle for me as I imagine it also is for some of you.)

 

A REMINDER: At the end of last week, I sent a special email regarding the censorship that may be coming and how to keep in touch with me. If you’d like to continue hearing from me, should I be censored, I am asking you to give me your name and email address if you haven’t already done so. You can do this by simply replying to this email. I am trying to find a censorship-free platform to use for my subscribers and will only add those that really want to hear from me. You can find more details in an email I sent to you entitled “PLEASE READ”. I hope it doesn’t come to this, but I’d rather be prepared than sorry. :)

(I am sharing this here again because someone mentioned that the aforementioned email landed in their spam folder.)