There is not refuge from Him, only refuge in Him. Derek Kinder
We, believers, find ourselves living in a world bombarded with harsh words, criticism, lies, deceit, innuendoes, and false accusations. What else should we expect from a world ruled by Satan who is the “prince of the power of the air”, whose spirit “is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2 ESV). In such an atmosphere there is not place of refuge, rest and peace, except in the Lord.
In the Tree of Life Version (TLV), Psalms 62:6-9 says, “My soul, wait in stillness, only for God–for from Him comes my expectation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my strong tower–I will not be moved. On God, my salvation and my glory is the rock of my strength. My refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart in His presence. God is our refuge. Selah
The continuous pounding of the daily caustic rhetoric is like a jack-hammer breaking up the concrete creating a relentless noise perpetuating unrest, distrust, irrational conversations and disturbing thinking. The constant spewing forth of such words, as the Book of James tells us, “…is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:15-18 ESV)
The church of Jesus Christ has faced this type of brutality throughout its history. Jesus made no secret of it happening to His followers. In Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV), Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The imflamatory dialogue has become incendiary promoting acts of violence that are daily occurrences in our nation and the rest of the world. Added to this is the increase of Christian persecution which has resulted in the killing of many believers throughout the world. These tragedies are documented by the Voice of Martyrs, Open Doors USA, CBN, and other evangelistic organizations ministering within nations (i.e. India, Afghanistan, North Korea, China, Africa, etc.) where Christians are being persecuted and killed. The truth is that most followers of Christ, living in the twenty-first century and in North America, have not experienced the reality of those words. If you are like me, the closest I have come has been some level of uncomfortableness or intimidation. Many followers of Christ in the rest of the world experience daily the full weight of Christ’s words. Am I ready for such opposition? How about you?
In our nation, the Christian community has been experiencing a rise in opposition to religious freedoms. Opposition has taken the form of objections, disapproval, criticism, resistance and sometimes hostility. Our current Covid pandemic has spurred a number of confrontations because our government officials have issued guidelines restricting movement, the assembling of ourselves together, and other protocols that have been interpreted as infringements upon our personal rights as citizens of this nation, in our states, and in our local communities. Can our government officials make guidelines to restrict a church from assembling together for worship? Some say yes, some say no, some have successfully followed the guidelines, and others have dismissed them completely. The conflict continues in spite of things quieting down in many parts of our nation. There are still many rulings that the citizenry are wrestling with, such as: masks, no masks; mandatory vaccine shots, no mandatory vaccine shots, or eating inside or outside at restaurants. On the surface, many say, ‘no big deal’; while others are concerned about the overarching control that our government officials are exercising upon our lives. The confusing part is that our government officials are unsure themselves what to do or not to do. In many respects, they have backed themselves into a corner and the prospects do not look promising. Where do the government’s edicts take us as a nation? What will be the extent of their control? That is what many in this nation are struggling with?
In addition to Covid, other major issues have taken center stage in our on going struggle against the government’s insistence to regulate and reform our nation. I am referring to racism, immigration, border control, energy, school curriculum, parent’s rights, national debt, climate control, safety in our cities, to name a few–these are internal issues; and I haven’t listed any external issues involving our relationship with other nations.
These areas of concerns have been rearing their ugly heads over the past several decades and gaining traction in our communities. The seeds of many of these problems have been sown over the course of our nation’s history. The frequency of objections regarding these issues have become numerous. Why? Because these are real issues that need to be addressed. One thing that I have noticed is the increasing irrationality of the proponents reasoning when discussing their position. We are losing our civility as a nation to dialogue. Maybe our government leaders are not as interested in solving the issues but using the problems to remain in control and change the fundamental construction of our Republic?
Why do I bring this to your attention? Let me say it again. These are real problems that we as nation, must recognize, and deal with; but more than that, we must analyze and ask ourselves, what is the ‘fruit’, ‘the influence’ that these issues exert over our nation? First, let us identify the source. What is the source of the ‘influences’ that I am referring too? According to James 3:15-18? the source of these issues are not from ‘above’ but ‘below’. ‘Below’ means that the source is “earthly, unspiritual, demonic”. Those are not my words, they are God’s words. Now ask yourself, do we have chaos or clarity? Do we have peace or unrest? Do we have division or unity? Do we have freedom or bondage? These are just some of the comparisons that we could make. We are being affected by ungodly ‘influences’ determined to undermine our nation.
What does God’s Word say?
Now, what are the effects of these ‘influences’? James 3:14,( ESV), “But where bitter jealously and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Is that an appropriate description of what we are witnessing? I do not believe it is a stretch of our imagination to look at the cultural fabric of our nation, and say that those words describe what we are witnessing in our midst. The good news is that it does not have to be this way; but the remedy is not going to be based upon man’s wisdom. The remedy will come from a sovereign work of God in the life of this nation. A ‘spiritual’ awakening will need to happen. This nation will need to be ‘awakened’ God’s way.
Ephesians 5: 13-17, (NKJV), “But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says, “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit…”
As a believer, how are we to respond? *We must fast and pray*. As I shared in my last blog, I believe that the Lord is going to intervene with His ARROW (Read Psalm 64) and expose the lies and deceits perpetrated against this nation. But the Lord is enlisting us to fight the spiritual warfare going on in our midst. We are His people. We are to be salt and light to this unsaved world. Does that mean that everything will ‘magically’ disappear, and all the problems will be solved? NO, but with the ‘awakening’ there will come change as the nation responds to addressing the problems it faces. Will there be no more persecution? NO, why? There will always be opposition to the Lord and the Gospel message. Christian beliefs are an obstacle to the world. A Christian is not obliged to ‘check’ his/her Christianity at the door of public office; nor is a Christian supposed to ‘flaunt’ one’s Christianity on the job or in public.
Having said that, let me repeat, believers in Christ, need to *fast and pray*. We are in a spiritual battle for the soul of this nation.
Therefore, let this truth permeate your thinking: a person, who loves the Lord, and seeks to walk uprightly before Him, honoring Him in all that he/she does or says, will come in contact with those who oppose Christianity. That’s the way it is. This is not meant to be negative. Jesus was being realistic when He told His followers that they would be treated harshly because of Him. Spiritual ‘awakenings’ will be opposed by Satan. They always have been and they always will be. The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness are in a spiritual battle. The Victory is ours NOW in Christ. Living out the Victory until Christ returns is our mandate.
The Apostle Peter reminds us of the spiritual battle in I Peter 4:12-14 (ESV), “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial (get ready for the heat, and it’s not global warming) when it comes to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. but rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s suffering, that you may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and God rests upon you.” Believer be encouraged, the Trinity is present with you. You are not alone. Did you see it? In the previous sentence, the name of Christ, the Spirit of glory, and God are all mentioned. It is easy to see why Peter said, “you are blessed”. How can you not be blessed when you are surrounded by the Godhead?
Remember, you are a citizen of another kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Colossians 1:13,14 (ESV), says, God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his blessed Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” O, VICTORY IN JESUS, MY SAVIOR FOREVER…(let us sing it!)
I Peter 2:9 (ESV) reminds us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
If we truly understand this, and live our lives accordingly, we will be a ‘MARKED‘ people in the eyes of the world. We will become candidates for their opposition.
We will be reviled, persecuted, spoken evil of, having many words uttered against us falsely for following Christ. Remember, that is what Jesus told us would happen.
We must turn off and tune out the confusion of this world. I am not suggesting that we stick our head in the sand and ignore the ‘signs of the times’ all around us; neither am I suggesting that we do not interact with unbelievers. What I am saying is that we must ‘wake up’ to the reality that we have always lived in an evil world and the Christian ethic that once graced our nation is being removed systematically from our society and we are now living in a nation and world that is becoming more hostile and vocal against the followers of Christ. We must not allow ourselves to get caught up in the destructive rhetoric promulgated throughout our nation and the world.
We must not allow ourselves to be governed by the words and thoughts of the world. We must not allow our hearts to be controlled by the kingdom of this world. We must not shrink back from following and focusing on the Lord. Please read Matthew 24:1-24. Let us not be deceived. Let us continue to show God’s ‘agape’ love and not grow cold as lawlessness increases. Let us endure (hold one’s ground in conflict) to the end and be saved.
To accomplish this, we need to center on Christ and His word. In Him, we will find refuge and rest (r and r) in the midst of the storm. He is our peace.
Our God is an awesome God, and He is coming in His Presence and Power to deal with this nation.
Be blessed, a brother in Christ, deo
*Regarding fasting and prayer: fasting and prayer aligns our heart and mind with the heart and mind of God. Fasting and prayer sets our life (our desires) aside to focus on what the Lord wants to accomplish through His people. Read Isaiah 58. Fasting and prayer is also for spiritual battle. You N.E.E.D. to read Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther, Daniel. They all fasted and prayed in the time of spiritual battle with the enemy.*
**In less than a month (today is October 12, 2024, our nation will have its national election for President, Senators, and Representatives. There are also many state level propositions and ballot measures that need to be voted on. I encourage you as a Christian to VOTE, to VOTE Biblically. VOTE according to a Biblical World-View. What does the Word of God say about the issue I am considering? DO NOT neglect to VOTE. Your VOTE expresses your concern for our nation according to God’s Word. **
Living Words of Encouragement 