Standing Firm In Uncertain Times

1st Corinthians 16:13 says

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong".

As believers we face many challenges in our world today.

We Face - Social Challenges Like Persecution and Discrimination In many countries, people are persecuted or even put to death.

We face - secular and moral issues: In our own country Christian values often clash with cultural norms. Our culture says that all beliefs are the same, but that type of thinking undermines the truths upheld by Christianity.

We face pressures in our marriages & families: It's plain to see that the Christian understanding of family and marriage is at odds with modern views on sexuality, gender, and relationships. This creates tension within families and communities.

On top of all That we face: Political Challenges, challenges from Media and Entertainment, challenges in our schools, Doctrinal Confusion in our churches…

We also face Leadership Failures: Scandals and failures among church leaders that causes disillusionment and loss of trust among believers and non-believers alike.

But take heart we can look to the scripture to Find strength and guidance in order to stand firm in our faith.

The first thing We must Recognize is the Reality of Spiritual Warfare:

The Bible teaches us about the spiritual battles we face, Ephesians 6:12 says…For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Current events are troubling, but don’t forget the unseen spiritual battles behind them. We must be spiritually prepared, and we do that by Putting on the Full Armor of God and then we Stand !!!

Put on the Belt of Truth and Stand in the truth of God's word in a world that’s full of lies and deception.

Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness and Stand doing everything you can to Live a righteous life that reflects the character of Christ

Strap on the Gospel of Peace and stand firm as you spread the message of peace and hope.

Take up the Shield of Faith… and stand Trusting that God will protect you against all that the enemy throws at you.

Put on the Helmet of Salvation and Keep your mind focused on your salvation and your eternal hope.

Finally Take up the Sword of the Spirit and Use the Word of God to counter the lies and temptations that come your way.

Remember that God is our Refuge and strength our very present help when we are in trouble… Seek His shelter in the middle of chaos and uncertainty

We must learn to rely not on our own strength but on the strength of God every day through prayer, through worship, and through reading the Word. We cannot let our guard down… It’s a battlefield…

We Must have a Solid foundation

Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus tells us...

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

If we are going to endure, if we are going to get through this life spiritually intact, we need to build our lives on the solid foundation of the teachings of Christ…How do we do that?... I’m glad you asked… Let me give you some practical advice… Attend Church Regularly, fellowship with other Christians, get involved in small group studies with other believers… and spend time in personal devotion.

As followers of Christ we should be Living with Hope and Assurance not Doom & Gloom:

To many of us put our hope in the wrong things… we put our hope in friends and people, we put our hope in the government and its leaders, we put our hope in money & Success, we put our hope in all kinds of things… all of these will fail you…

The one hope that we have that will stand the test of time… the one hope we have that won't let us down is is our hope in Jesus Christ… No matter what happens in the world we can trust that if we put our hope in Christ, He will not let us down… We can stand on the promises of God who has remained faithful since the beginning of time and will continue to remain faithful throughout our lives and beyond.