The Lord is at Hand

Do Not Be Anxious

Philippians 4:1, 4-7 ESV

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We live in troubled times. Our nations are being torn apart and are being given over to the beastly New World Order, which is presently conquering the world one nation at a time. It is just a matter of time before we have the full rule of the beast in place in this world, ruling over the entire world.

The church, at least here in America, and I suspect in other nations throughout the world, is in a crisis situation, for the church has largely been given over to the beastly New World Order, too, via the US government and the world and big business, with which the church largely has joined forces in an unholy union, unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

Thus, the church at large is on a massive moral and spiritual decline, for they have compromised their faith and convictions with the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings, and in order to appease human flesh.

They have turned the house of the Lord into a marketplace, which God forbids. They are unequally yoked together with the unbelieving world; which God also forbids. And they have turned to humans and their marketing schemes and books to tell them how to grow God’s church, rather than turning to the Lord and to his Word and to submitting to his ways for growing his church.

And, the market-driven and flesh-driven church has cut the Lord’s gospel message in pieces, and has altered his message, and has turned the grace of God into a license for lasciviousness.

So, it appears the majority of those professing the name of Jesus do not really know God, and yet they are being given a false hope of heaven for when they die, based on a lie which tells them that a mere profession of faith is enough to assure them of heaven when they die, yet with no requirements for death to sin or living to righteousness.

Rejected and Persecuted

And, so those who are still holding on to the tenets of the Christian faith as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles, are being excluded, rejected, falsely accused, mistreated, fought against, and persecuted for their faith and for their testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his full gospel message.

So, this is an encouragement here to stand firm on our faith, and to not back down, and to not compromise with the world or unite with the worldly church in their hypocrisies, and in their giving of their lives over to the flesh. But, we are to remain committed to our Lord and to his Word, and to purity, faithfulness, honesty, holiness and righteousness.

And, it is also an encouragement to those who are being mistreated for their faith and for their stand on the truths of God’s word. We are to rejoice in the Lord in all things. And, we are to let our reasonableness be known to everyone.

So, what is our reasonableness? It is sensibleness, wisdom, being realistic, and fairness. And, the gospel of Jesus Christ is all that, so it is speaking the truth of the gospel to people out of love and concern for their lives, taking care to let them know the truth that can set them free.

And, then there is the reminder that our Lord is at hand, i.e. he is near us who have trusted in him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, but he is near in the sense, too, that his coming again to take us to be with him forever is approaching. Both senses of that word “near,” should give us comfort.

So, we should have no reason to fear what is going on in the world and what we are presently having to endure, and what we will most likely have to endure in days or years to come, as the persecution of true followers of Jesus increases and spreads throughout the world.

So, instead of being anxious about the things that are taking place in the world and in our nations and within the gatherings of the church, we should commit all these to the Lord in prayer, and make our requests to the Lord concerning the condition of our present world and the adulterous church, too. And, we should take to him in prayer any persecutions we may be facing and our persecutors, too. And, trust him to work all for good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).

When we commit our circumstances over to the Lord, and when we take his yoke upon us and learn from him, and we let him carry our burdens, then the peace of God fills our hearts.

But, this is not to say that we are not going to continue to go through hardships and persecutions. Jesus promised we would. And, this doesn’t mean we won’t feel them, either. Paul said he despaired even of life. But, we have to just keep crying them out to the Lord and trust him with them. And, one day he is going to take us home, and then our suffering will be over and our tears will be wiped from our eyes, and we will be at home with our Lord.

Think About These Things

Philippians 4:8-9 ESV

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

While we wait for our Lord’s return, we are to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to him, and we are to continue to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us, and we are to continue to say “No!” to the flesh and “Yes!” to the Spirit. And, we are to set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth. And, we are to think about things that are godly and pure and holy, and we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, and we are not to let our minds wander from our pure devotion to our Lord or to become fearful, but we are to focus our attention on what is praiseworthy, instead.

Him Who Strengthens Me

Philippians 4:10-13 ESV

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

And, lastly, we need to learn to be content in whatever situation God places us in, whether we are living in plenty or in need, whether of good reputation or of bad (because we are teaching the true gospel). It doesn’t mean we are tolerant of sin or wickedness of any kind. We are not to be content with wickedness reigning in people’s lives. But, we are to speak the truth in love in hopes that many will surrender their lives to Jesus. But, we have to be willing to accept that with that will come difficulties in relationships, and that we will be hated, rejected and persecuted by some people.

Yet, God will strengthen us in every situation he allows us to go through. We just have to yield to him and trust him and rest in him and follow his lead. And, again, we can endure much knowing that this will not last forever, but that one day our Lord will come to take us home. In the meantime, though, we live for him and we do what he says and we don’t make compromises with the world. We stand strong on the Word of the Lord. Amen!

When I Go Home

By G. M. Eldridge

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4

In the moment He appears

And the light from heaven shines,

I’ll forget ev’ry fear,

Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.

Then I’ll see Him as He is

And I’ll know Him as I’m known.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

Ever present is the tho’t

That a moment waits for me

When unworthy as I am,

His glory I will see.

I will empty all my praise

Before my Father’s throne.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

If the trial I endure

And your presence I can’t find,

Be near me, Lord, I pray,

Bring back unto my mind

That your promises are firm

And I’m never on my own.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z98Zvr1CyXg

Caution: This link may contain ads

Copyright 2019 by Acapeldridge

All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

https://acapeldridge.com/