Hold on for Dear Life!
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mt. 24:6-13
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;” Heb 10:23
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” 1 Th. 3:8
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Eph. 6:10
“And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord…. Who, when he [Barnabas] came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” Acts 11:21-23 [Barnabas] added (underlining added to above scriptures)
These times are unfathomably wild, crazy, tragic, violent, deadly and will only worsen per the Bible. It’s NOT enough to intellectually believe in Jesus Christ. Even demons believe. Look at the force in the verses above. Entering into an amazing, intimate relationship with God now and forever instead of spending eternity in fiery hell apart from God is NOT based on a one-time profession of faith in Christ. Nor is it based on a perpetual belief in Christ while all the while living the way we always did – according to the world’s ways. The kind of faith God requires for us to be in His presence now and forever is faith that endures, faith that holds fast, faith that stands fast, faith that is strong, and faith that cleaves to God. Genuine faith in Christ bears fruit in our very words, thoughts, and actions, our very lifestyle, the fruit that demonstrates we are genuinely no longer living for ourselves and this world, but for God. The Bible is clear many will fall away from God. How do we persevere? Through continual fellowship with God, continual study of His Word, continual connectedness to Christ’s Body, and continual commitment to live to love and glorify the Lord.
Hold onto the Lord for dear – and forever – life!