The Future...A Scary Place

*note, while this has some political references in it, I do not want to turn this into a political argument. =)  If you disagree with something I said, send me your blog link or email address and we can work things out. =)  "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel..." (2 Timothy 2:24a)

I was in the middle of a girls' Bible study when Ted Cruz decided to step out of the Republican nomination for President of the United States.  We were shocked...because now the race consists of two unbelievers running against one another, both wanting to hold the reigns of our nation.  It's sad how far the USA has come away from being a "Nation Under God."

Maybe you are not a political person at all...and maybe you haven't watched all the presidential debates like I have.  **grins sheepishly**  But either way I think you will be able to agree with me: the future is a very scary place.

With ISIS in the Middle East, and all the calamities going around the world, it can be terrifying.

But it doesn't have to be.

You see, no matter how bad things get, I have a God on my side who is bigger than all the hurt, pain, and sin. When David faced Goliath, he stood up for God courageously testifying, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."(1 Samuel 17:45-46)

That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be ready to face the future.  The world hates Christians.  We need to prepare ourselves by putting on the armor of God.  When the evil of the world comes against us, we need to stand against it declaring, "I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts!"  

I couldn't resist putting this image in!  =)

How can we be prepared?  (Thanks for asking!)  Look at Ephesians 6:10-18.  It gives us several rules that will keep us strong in the days of trial.  They include:

• Truth
• The breastplate of righteousness
• The preparation of the gospel of peace
• The shield of faith
• The helmet of salvation
• The sword of the Spirit
• Praying always
• Being watchful to this end

 These are extremely important qualities and instructions for us to follow.  They are not suggestions.  They are rules.  If we want to be strong defenders of the Faith, we need to be prepared.

I want to point out two specific ones on the list.  First, we need to have the preparation of the gospel of peace.  We need to always be ready to share our faith with anyone (and everyone!) that we come across.  We must be hiding God's Word in our hearts.  The second one I want to point out is to be praying always.  Always means all. the. time.  I think we tend to underestimate prayer, but it is so, SO important.

Aren't you glad, dear reader, that God has not left us defenseless?!  The question is, are you preparing yourself?  Are you preparing your heart?  Are you being watchful against evil, memorizing God's Word, and having complete faith in it?  Or are you a lukewarm Christian that really doesn't care?

The choice is yours.  But do not put off the decision making.  Get ready today.

Do you ever fear the future?  How are you clothing yourself in the armor of God?  How could you do better in some of the ways listed above?  Comment below!