Jesus says: "But before all this, they will seize you
and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison,
and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my
name.”(Luke 21:12)
Jesus warned us of
the many signs that would occur in the end times—including the persecution of
Christians. (Matthew Ch. 24, Mark Ch.13,
Luke Ch. 21)
Some may have
thought that it would have NEVER happen here in the land of the free…But it has
and it will continue to. Look what is happening to Kim Davis. Kim Davis is in
prison right now because she wouldn’t waver in her godly convictions. She could
have saved herself from getting any prison time and all the animosity that she
has been getting from the world … If she just had married the same-sex couples
that came to her for their marriage license. But her respect for Gods holy word
kept her from breaking Gods commands and so she refused to marry them. Friends,
I pray that we ALL have that same boldness and faith as Kim Davis displayed, on
her non-negotiation stance for the word of the living God. If we are ever put
in a position that our godly morals and convictions are compromised any way, I
hope that we will stand firmly on our godly convictions as Kim Davis did. http://www.inquisitr.com/2390495/breaking-kim-davis-arrested-for-refusing-to-issue-marriage-licenses-in-kentucky/
Note: Jesus said: “The
world cannot hate you, but it hates me
because I testify that its works are evil.” (John 7:7) As the
world gets further and further from God… The more the world will hate Jesus,
His word, and His followers. (John 15:18-19)
Jesus warned us
that in the last days MANY believers
will turn away from Him. Why would anyone turn away from Jesus you may ask? Answer: They will turn away from Him because
of the persecutions that they will have to endure for believing and following
Him. This is what Jesus said: “Everyone
will hate you because of me.” (Luke
21:17) And If you are one of those people who are worldly and people
pleasers…You won’t be able to withstand (To handle) the whole world hating you
for your belief in Jesus Christ. And so you will walk away from your faith in
Him, and that my friends, is called being a coward… And as we all know that
cowards will NOT enter the kingdom of God … “BUT THE COWARDLY, THE UNBELIEVING, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will
be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
(Revelation 21:8)
Jesus said: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy
both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Note: If the choices are: To take people not liking me (Because I
am a Christian) or to walk away from Jesus and have Him throw me into the lake
of fire for being a coward. I’ll go with people not liking me… I can live with
that. Choosing Jesus…Will He be your choice too? I hope so! Soon we will see…
Who is really for Christ, because Jesus already said that “MANY” will turn away from following Him and what He prophesied a
long time ago will come to pass…“At
that time MANY will
turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,” (Matthew 24:10)
QUESTION: When we face the same persecutions that
the early church in the book of Acts faced here in our nation…Will we STAND FIRM in our FAITH for Christ as they did? Or will we be one of the MANY that will TURN AWAY (Walk Away)
from our FAITH in Christ? Friends,
we need to stay in constant prayer because we cannot turn our back on Jesus? We
cannot be afraid of opposition or be scared in any way of the consequences that
will come our way for standing up for our faith in Christ. Isn’t Christ worth
standing up for? Of course He is! We need to pray for boldness and for courage
so that we will be able STAND FIRM in
our faith. If your spirit-man is lacking faith…Ask the Lord for an “increase of faith” as his disciples
asked Him in Luke 17:5. The apostle
James tells us that if we do not have what we need… It’s because we haven’t
asked God for it. (James 4:2)
Note: It is IMPORTANT
that we NEVER deny or be ashamed of
our Savior, and that we remain faithful and true to Him no matter what we might
face for following Him. Read it for yourself the Lords warning… If we do not
pick up our cross and follow Him…
Jesus
says: “Whoever wants to be my
disciple MUST deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For
whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for
me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole
world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their
soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his
Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38)
We
MUST be bold and pick up our cross
daily, if we want to enter the kingdom
of God
STILL
LACKING FAITH? PRAY FOR AN INCREASE OF FAITH…
Remember
that the word of God says: “… Without FAITH it
is impossible to
please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) Prepared your minds and
hearts, study the book of Acts (The New Testament) and see how the early church
handled a world that was very hostile towards Christians. The closer you
walk with Jesus the bolder you will be and the better you will be to withstand the
attacks of the enemy. Jesus already gave us the recipe to be an overcomer in
this world…And that’s to obey and apply His teachings into our daily lives.
Obeying our Savior not only does it make us “a wise builder” but it’s the ONLY
way to handle whatever storms come our way! (Matthew 7:24-25) Stay very
close to Jesus… Completely connected to “The
Vine” Because apart from Him we cannot do ANYTHING! (John 15:4-10)
Note: Going back to the persecutions
that we might face in this nation for following Christ… Friends, this battle is
not going to be fought with physical weapons but this battle will be fought on
our knees! We need to pray like we never have prayed before and be dressed
daily in the full armor of our God, so that we are able to resist and stand
firmly against the attacks of the devil. The apostle Paul tells us to … “Therefore
put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be
able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:9-17, James 4:7)
Note: Friends, if we are not daily
dressed in the full armor of God… We will not be ready to face the evil times
that are now upon us … And we definitely will not be able to stand up for
Christ either. Our fight is NOT with people…But with the enemy of our souls,
the devil. The Bible says: “For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against
the rulers,
against
the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
The apostle Peter warns us also about our mortal enemy: “Be
alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because
you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the
same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) We are NOT alone in this
spiritual battle…MANY of our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus throughout
the world have been fighting this battle now for many generations. Let us also
keep our persecuted brothers and sisters in our daily prayers.
My dear, friends… Remain true and faithful to the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, with all you soul… And Jesus will give you the crown of life...
Jesus says: "DO NOT FEAR any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
NOW AND ALWAYS
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA
