In A Chaotic & Turbulent World, Have Patient Endurance

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.’ (Revelation 14:12)

The trend for our society is unfortunately a growing divide between the people over political, racial, and moral lines in the sand.  For every conservative Christian, there is someone else who unfortunately holds the opposite beliefs as steadfast as that Christian holds theirs.  This divide is widening, and as we know through the Biblical prophecies, will end up causing pain and suffering among the people.  This is not to say this is happening soon, but only that eventually it will happen. 

This passage deals for Christians within Tribulation to not be swayed toward Evil to seek ‘the easy way out’ of things when the wrath of God comes to bring retribution.  It applies to today, however.  It may be easier at first to comply with Evil, and it may placate our feelings to say ‘I believe ‘x’, but…’.  However, in the long run, compromising will cause more pain.  Compromising on prayer in schools was an easy choice in the 1960s; due to that compromise Evil has taken that inch and added miles of anti-God edicts. 

Today in schools the rules across most of our nation are no prayer, no Bible-reading, ‘freedom from religion’, no Pledge of Allegiance (it has that pesky ‘Under God’ line).  Also, the belief in the sanctity of life has been taken away, thanks to legal abortion, elderly euthanasia, and in some states, proposed infanticide (‘post-birth abortions’ are infanticide). 

Things that used to be proper, correct, and Biblical have been replaced with irrational, improper, and incorrect thought – all because Christians thought that the easy compromise would bring peace, but instead it brought chaos.

We can all see, regardless of party affiliation, the direction of the US and the world.  We have compromised by believing ‘meek = weak’, but meekness is not the same as weakness; it is to be reserved so when we must speak out it means something important.  So, we are now in what appears to be a losing battle for the soul of the People. 

There are outspoken movements for ‘de-programming’ secularly incorrect (i.e. Christian and/or morally proper) thought and removing children from such moral, Christian parents.  In liberal states, if a child can be convinced that they are of the ‘wrong’ gender, the child can be removed of their home, taken away by the state from their disapproving parents, and receive state-approved ‘gender reaffirming care’ and transgender surgery.  

In the recent past, the US government attempted to force vaccinations for COVID to get the ‘vaccination passport’ to travel WITHIN the US, to be tied to a proposed ‘social credit score’ which when tied to your ‘FICO’ or financial credit score would limit what you can buy or sell (a possible prelude to Revelation 13:16-17).  Though the present administration is appearing to be going in the opposite direction, these measures are possibly coming back with a vengeance in a future Presidential administration.  What can we do, other than accept it and fall into line?   The one thing we can do is to turn to the Lord for strength and guidance!

As John wrote, ‘Patient Endurance’.  We as Christians need to fall in line with God and what He wants us to do – obey Him.  We cannot be ‘BUT’ Christians, but fully committed Christians to do what is right, not what is expedient.  Will there be some ‘pain’ involved?  What happens when the government says, ‘close the churches’, or more likely through the passing of ‘equality laws’, ‘accept LGBTQ marriages and install LGBTQ people into Church leadership positions’? 

Do we take the easy way and say, ‘OK’?  Or do we understand that ‘Patient Endurance’ is what the Christians of Rome went through, knowing that despite their deaths, through the spectacle of those being eaten by lions or lit up as torches, that God would eventually be glorified? 

Our ‘Patient Endurance’ will be to resist Evil, to stay obedient to and stand up for God, and understand like the Christian martyrs of Rome, our ‘delaying’ actions of going to church despite the ‘Closed by Decree’ signs on the door, or turning way the same-sex couple wanting to desecrate the Holiness of the Marriage ceremony will bring hope to those looking for some way out of this illogical existence we face. 

This may bring the same consequences as those ancient martyrs, but know that you have obeyed your God fully, and have not given into fear & defeat, but kept up your Faith & duty to our Lord, Jesus. 

I close with the words of an unknown British author, “Surrender is a choice, old chum.  In the face of policies designed to cause fear & despair, refuse to be driven by fear & do not give in to despair.  Even if that is the sum one can contribute, do at least that.”