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We Must Endure! Mat 24:3-14 (KJV) “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (8) All these [are] the beginning of sorrows. (9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. (10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. (11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” We really should not be shocked if we are experiencing sorrows, afflictions, and persecutions, as well as many other phenomena that are taking place in nature, because Christ has already foretold us that they would come to pass. But the things that we need to become more aware of are the ways that we are letting those things move us. The right perspective towards these battles would be this: “With Christ, I am going to handle these circumstances, or die trying to!” That really is not too extreme because, the truth be known, these days most people give up before they even break a sweat from trying to endure. The evidence of this is the obvious fact that the love of many is growing cold. The divorce rate in all of America, as well as the unfaithfulness and the unbelief exhibited by the saints is overwhelming proof that even Christians have developed an unwillingness to endure. It sounds like an oxy-moron, but to keep up the good fight Jesus said, “You must lay down your life…” Lack of endurance is a sign of the closeness of the end of life as we know it. Why do we give up and give in so easily? Insurmountable odds always surrounded the stories of histories most well known battles, so why should we be surprised by circumstances that may seem overwhelming in our own lives? Have we let our hearts grow hard and cold? Mark 4:16-17 (KJV) “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; (17) And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.” In other words, ‘if we let down our guard our hearts will grow hard’! When Christians stop implementing their spiritual weapons, it won’t be long before the persecution for the word’s sake, the attacks of satan, the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things will seem unstoppable. Saints, it is not an option, we must endure! ENDU'RE, (Webster) to last; to continue in the same state without perishing; to remain; to abide. -Kurt Thurston |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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