Seven Devotional Truths
The truths in Scripture are a bedrock of certainty in a world filled with uncertainty. As we fill our minds with these truths, our hearts will know peace.
SEVEN TRUTHS TO REMEMBER AS THE WORLD FALLS APART
I hope for Yahweh, my soul does hope, And for His word do I wait. (Psalm 130:5 )
The world around us is collapsing. Bad news bombards us from every direction, and evil is getting worse. As those who love God, we can't help but wonder: How much longer can this continue? Is the tribulation almost here? How can we possibly have a positive influence in such a negative world?
For more reasons than ever before, the future looks bleak. People are on edge. Fear is in the air. So much is trending in the wrong direction that we seem to have gone beyond the point of no return. This world is truly falling apart.
We shouldn't be surprised. Ultimately, the world is suffering because of humanity's rejection of God and enslavement to sin. Scripture warns how bad conditions will get as we draw closer to the end times. Jesus Himself said it will become "as the days of Noah were" (Matthew 24:37).
Genesis 6:5 describes those days for us: "The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and...every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
With so much going wrong, we may think it's impossible for us, as believers, to have a positive effect anymore. But as long as the rapture hasn't happened yet, we're here to be salt and light. We're here to offer people the hope found in God's Word alone.
In the next several devotions, let’s look at seven truths that can serve as reminders that no matter how bad things get, God can use us. These truths can help us to persevere and not become discouraged.
Anytime we are overwhelmed by the chaos and evil in our world, the solution is to wait on the Lord and find our hope in His Word. The truths in Scripture are a bedrock of certainty in a world filled with uncertainty. As we fill our minds with these truths, our hearts will know peace.
TRUTH #1: GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL
Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases (Psalm 115:3).
In the days of Noah, all of humanity hit rock bottom. Evil was everywhere, just as it is today. But we know that God was still in control because He brought an end to that world. He poured out His judgment and prevailed over evil.
This will happen again in the end times. When the world is at its worst, Christ will return and will replace man's reign of evil with His reign of righteousness.
Another very dark moment in history was when Jesus died on the cross. At the time, Satan seemed to have won. But then, Jesus rose from the grave—and He conquered Satan, sin, and death. What looked like a victory for the enemy became God's victory.
God's sovereignty has no boundaries. The universe, world events, spiritual powers, and all people and creatures are in His hands. All are inescapably accountable to Him alone.
Isaiah 14:24 declares, "The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand."
Psalm 135:6 says, "Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps."
Daniel 4:35 reveals there are no constraints whatsoever on God's sovereignty: "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'"
No matter how greatly evil appears to triumph, God is still in control. So infinitely sovereign is He that evil cannot and will never be able to oppose His authority.
God has demonstrated the totality of His power over all things many times in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Scripture tells us there is coming a day when He will say, "Enough!" and His sovereignty will never be challenged again. What a glorious day that will be!
TRUTH #2: OUR VICTORY HAS BEEN WON
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Remans 8:31).
We can fully expect that in this word, we will have times when we feel defeated.
Evil will appear to be winning. We will find ourselres weighed down by one difficult circumstance after another. Or spiritual warfare will leave us frustrated and fatigued. Or the uncertainties we face about the future will be so constant that we wonder if we'll ever get beyond them.
In all these ways, it's easy for us to be robbed of our hopes. But no maner what happens in this life, an important truth that helps to put everything into perspective is that our eternal destiny is secure. Nothing can take away our salvation or the promise of eternal life in heaven. That’s because Jesus already determined the outcome at the cross. He has forever defeated Satan, sin, and death—and all the problems they cause in our lives.
Fist Corinthians 15 says that someday, our mortal bodies will become immortal. The corruptible will become incorruptible, for death is swallowed up in victory (verses 52-54). The passage then climaxes with these wards "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Because of the victory Christ secured for us, a new day is coming. Revelation 21:4 describes it this way: "[God] will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
No matter how bad this world becomes, our victory has already been won. Nothing will change the outcome. We may feel as though we have no victory in life now, but because Christ has already won, we have total assurance that we will too. A day is coming when sin will forever be banished from our presence and Christ will rule the world, and we will reign alongside Him.
TRUTH #3: THE CHURCH WILL PREVAIL
I will build my church (Matthew 16:18).
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
It’s been 2,000 years since Jesus said that. The church had a small beginning. Where is it today? I's worldwide. Jesus is still building His church. Through the ages, He has sustained it and protected it. And when the rapture happens, He will remove it.
The powers of evil are not able to stop the church. They will work fiercely to hinder it, and there will be times when the battle gets intense. Jesus warned that "in the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). We as Christians can expect to be criticized, vilified, and persecuted—and some of us, even killed. From a human perspective, it will seem the church is losing ground, but because it is the all-powerful Christ who is building the church, we can be certain it will continue to grow. The gospel will be proclaimed and draw new people to Christ. The faith will move onward.
Back when the church was first born, it faced severe persecution. Some of the Roman emperors of that day were determined to wipe it out. Many other persecutions of Christians have taken place since. But Christianity continues to spread. It's all because Christ promised He would build His church. No matter how great the opposition, the church will advance.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed to the Father for every believer who would become part of His church: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one" John 17:15), Paul wrote, "The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3:3). We can have every confidence that no matter how hard the battle, God will use us in ways we might not see or understand—to further His kingdom and His glory.
TRUTH #4: OUR MISSION HAS NOT CHANGED
Shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).
Even though the world all around is constantly changing, the struggles of the human heart have never changed. God made people to know fulfillment, joy, and peace, but their bondage to sin makes that impossible. Apart from God, they will always struggle with dissatisfaction and hopelessness. They will forever be restless, unable to answer the deeper questions of life: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Where can I find meaning? Because sin has separated them from God, they have also been separated from the answers to those questions.
God wired people for fellowship with Him. He also created them to live eternally. Because of sin, every person has a God-sized void within them, and everyone fears death. Their wiring tells them something is wrong, but they're not sure what. They try to fill the void with whatever they think will satisfy, but their efforts will always be futile. Only God can fill that void. And our purpose, as Christians, is to point people to Jesus as the answer to every human need. That is our mission.
Matthew 5:13-14 calls us to be salt and light. We’re to have a godly infuence on those around us. Second Corinthians 5:20 says, "Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ." First Peter 2:9 states our purpose this way: "You are...a people for [Gods] own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Those verses were written long ago but remain true today. Because the problem of sin hasn't changed, neither has our special assignment. No matter what we do for a living, no matter what our age, no matter what our background, we as believers all have the same mission: to be salt and light, to be ambassadors for Christ, and to proclaim the one who called us out of darkness into light.
TRUTH #5: EVERY CHRISTIAN COUNTS, INCLUDING YOU
You are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).
In the previous devotion (#4), we looked at how our mission has not changed. That is true for every believer. The command to live as salt and light and to be an ambassador for Christ applies to all. Every saved person is a called person, commissioned to carry on the work Jesus began.
But maybe you feel like you don't have anything to contribute. You may be thinking, I'm not good at talking about Christianity, or My realm of influence is small. Perhaps most of your time is spent at home with very young children, or your life or work situation exposes you to very few people. Because your mission field is small, you might assume it is unimportant. But it's not the size of your mission field that matters, it's whether you are using it to influence lives.
God has planted you where you are for a reason. That's where your ability to be a godly influence is most needed. No one else has the same realm of influence you do.
To God, having an influence on even just one person is important. In the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18, the man who had 100 sheep left the 99 to search for the one that went astray. When he found it, he rejoiced more over that one than over the 99 that never left. In Luke 15:10, were told that the angels of God rejoice "over one sinner who repents." The salvation of even just one person brings great joy to God and all of heaven!
The truth that every Christian counts applies to church life as well. In Hebrews 10:24-25, we are told that as we see Christ's return drawing near, we are not to neglect our fellow believers, but to "consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." Just as we need other believers to uphold and encourage us, they need us to do the same for them. Your influence matters. As you allow God to work through you, He will accomplish His purposes. As you avail yourself for His use, you'll become a channel of blessing to others.
TRUTH #6: GOD WILL EMPOWER US
To him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20-21).
The best part of our calling to shine as light, be an ambassador, and
encourage fellow believers is that God does not expect us to do all these things in our own power. He promises to supply us with His power!
In Acts 1:8, before Jesus told His disciples, "You will be my witnesses... to the end of the earth," He said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." He would gift the Spirit first; then they would go out. Because the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, you have this power.
Second Peter 1:3 tells us the Lord's "divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." God's power resides in us and enables us for every work pertaining to life and godliness-including sharing the gospel with the lost and building up fellow believers.
Ephesians 3:20-21 says God "is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." Backing up to verse 19, we're told where this starts: We must be "flled with all the fullness of God." This means yielding ourselves completely to Him—including being filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and letting His Word dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16). Being filled with the fullness of God, yielding wholly to the Spirit, and letting His Word dwell in us richly unleashes God's power. But when we allow sin to gain a foothold in our lives, we hinder God's work, "for the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit…..to keep you from doing the things you want to do" (Galatians 5:17).
God would never call us to do a divine work without providing us with His divine power. Our part is to empty ourselves of whatever would impede His power from working through us.
TRUTH #7: HEAVEN IS OUR HOME
We seek the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:14).
Does your heart ache for heaven? As new creations in Christ, we can expect to feel unsettled in this sin-plagued world. It is no longer our home; we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Hebrews 11:13 describes us as strangers and exiles here on earth—we are pilgrims. Hebrews 13:14 says, "Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
All of creation groans because it has been subjected to the futility that has resulted from sin. Likewise, "we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for... the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). This is why we feel so out of place here on earth and we eagerly anticipate life in heaven.
Living with an awareness of our future home and glory is what sustains us and enables us to persevere when we become distracted and discouraged by this world. As we keep our eyes on the finish line, we train ourselves to have an eternal perspective that fills us with hope. A great way to cultivate that focus is to hold fast to the scriptural truths that remind us of the following:
God is still in control.
Our victory has been won.
The church will prevail.
Our mission has not changed.
Every Christian counts, including you.
God will empower us.
Heaven is our home.
As we hold fast to God's promises of Christ's return and our home in heaven, we will gain the strength and determination we need to run ne race all the way to the finish line.
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