Good News for the Difficult Days Ahead

Feb 25, 2022 | by Anthony Wade

Today, I want to provide you some words of comfort and encouragement.  There are many horrible things going on in the world today.  The events in Ukraine this week have really caused me to meditate on the Word and hear from Holy Spirit with even more resolve.  I have spent much time in prayer and fasting this week, listening for the voice of the Lord and I have something to share with you.

It is so easy to get distracted in this world.  There are many voices that are attempting to pull you in a variety of directions.  If you are not cautious, you will find yourself as a sheep with no direction.  Aimlessly wandering in one direction until another sound peaks your attention and you turn to walk that direction for a while until you hear another sound, and so on.  I saw a picture of that in my inner man as I was meditating on these things earlier in the week.  The primary objective of the enemy is to get your focus off of what God is speaking to you.  It is how he attacked Eve in the Garden of Eden and it is the same way that he will attack you today.

So, what does that mean for you and I as believers in the Lord Jesus?  Well, there are a couple of different levels.  First, don’t be distracted by what the talking heads on TV are saying.  I turned on the national news for the first time in almost 15 months last night.  I watched for ten minutes… TEN minutes… until I had to turn it off.  Now, that is not condemnation to you who may watch the news regularly.  You handle your affairs how the Lord is leading you.  But, I will say that it is one thing to get information to be informed of things in the natural.  There is nothing wrong with that.  It is totally something different to listen to the pundits tell you what it all means and how it is going to affect your life.  That isn’t their job.  It is your job to get alone and listen to your Father’s voice.  To hear what He is saying about your destiny, what He is declaring over your life, and what His instructions for you are in this hour.  That job doesn’t belong to the media.

The second thing is to listen to the Lord.  Listen and obey.  Take time to quiet your soul and hear what you are to do.  This can ONLY happen when He has the loudest voice in your ear.  If you are having a hard time hearing His voice, then start with the Word.  Prime the pump by opening your Bible and reading His plans for your life.  Those promises are for the believer.  That’s YOU!  Then, after you have immersed yourself in the Word and quieted the other voices, ask Him what you are to do.  How you are to carry yourself.  Where you are to walk and when you are supposed to speak and be quiet, to go and stay, to act and be still.  With whom are you to interact, partner with, work with, encourage, and make a Kingdom impact.  Right there is the who, what, where, when, and how of living a Kingdom life of faith.  It’s obviously not all-encompassing, but certainly a good start.

On a practical note, I don’t claim to be an expert on end-time Bible prophecy, although I have read the Word on the matter.  You can read for yourself of events that are foretold in Ezekiel 38 and 39, Revelation 9, and the Book of Daniel.  I’m not going to go into the Kings of the North, South, East, and West.  Nor am I going to try and “make sense” of it all here for you and I to be comforted.  Why?  Because comfort cannot be found in every event lining up and everything “making sense” to us.  Jesus told His followers of great peril to come in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.  He talked about wars and rumors of wars.  He told them about nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  He said there would be famines and pestilences and earthquakes.  He said some believers would be killed and many will be offended and betray one another and even hate one another.  He said sin, or iniquity, would abound and love would wane.  He even said that many false prophets would rise up and deceive many.  Why am I pointing this out?  Because ALL of this is happening.  Don’t just get distracted by the one piece of the puzzle in Ukraine.  See the whole picture with me!

What is the bottom line in all of this?  Jesus ends up saying that the “gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations” and then the end will come.  He said when we see all these things happening and other people have their hearts fail them for fear, we are to “look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.”  That is the good news!  We don’t have to know all of the answers because we know “THE Answer.”  His name is Jesus.  He is the answer to all of the issues you are facing.  He is the answer for every hurting person in Ukraine and in Lebanon and we will proclaim Him loudly!

I love you and am so thankful that I get to pastor Faith Building Church.  What an honor!  Let’s move forward together in faith.  Let’s silence the false voices with their ideas for direction in our lives tune in to the only voice that matters.  Let’s cry out to the Lord with one voice and declare His will be done in our families, in our church, and in our community.