DARKNESS AND WICKEDNESS REIGN

The United States is experiencing an increasing epidemic of apostasy (the abandonment of belief in God and His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ), while the growth of Christianity is exploding in other nations around the world.

How did this nation that was founded on godly principles stray so far from the truth of God’s Word? Patrick Henry, a Founding Father, said "…this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With great generosity, the United States has always welcomed and extended freedom to all to practice their faith without interference. Sadly, each day, freedom to practice the Christian faith is being strangled. Not only is Christianity being challenged and silenced, but it is under constant attack by an immoral society.

Pew Research documented that Christianity in America has been steadily declining while there has been a significant increase in witchcraft and people identifying as “religiously unaffiliated” or “nones.” So, what are “nones?”

“Nones” are a rapidly growing group of Americans who do not identify with any religion. Sadly, many people who once identified as “Christians,” either denominational or non-denominational, have become nones, because they question the Bible’s authenticity.

Students are being indoctrinated with a calculated panacea promising a more equitable and better world through socialism. According to Pew Research, 70 to 88 percent of college freshmen leave their faith after completing their first year.

Sin and unbelief contaminated humanity when Adam and Eve believed Satan, the father of lies. Their fall in the Garden made this world a battleground between the Prince of Peace (Jesus) and the “god of this world” (Satan) Since their fall the world experiences daily conflict between good and evil (Genesis 1:26-27; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Romans 8:20-22).

Satan is still lying and continuing his deadly mission to convince people that God is callous, untrustworthy, and a withholder of good things. In fact, Satan is doing such a great job of deceiving people that there are those who once followed Christ but now believe the Bible to be nothing more than fables and misguided truths. “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:28 NIV).

Jesus addressed the Pharisees when they challenged His deity and His Word, “Why is My language (My Word) not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me! Can any of you prove Me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe Me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:43-47). Today, Jesus is still saying that those who do not believe God’s inspired Word, do not belong to Him.

The Apostle John tells us that some followers asked Jesus, “What sign then will You give that we may see it and believeYou? What will You do?” (John 6:30 NIV) Jesus answered: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me but raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:35-40 NIV).

These followers had witnessed Jesus feed thousands, saw miraculous healings, and listened to His teachings, yet they rejected His Word and departed to maintain their old beliefs and practices (John 6:9-14; John 6:2; John 6:60). This would be a foreshadowing of the human heart’s inclination to look for signs and reject the truth of God’s Word.  

The truth of God’s Word requires commitment to believe, rather than looking for signs of proof as the early followers did. Sadly, to this day, some find it difficult to accept God’s Word as infallible, because His unerring Word speaks hard truths that are the antithesis of the world’s current standards and beliefs. 

From Genesis to Revelation, God has been calling people to return to Him and surrender all to Him. Despite His call, our world has become darker and more wicked—like the days of Noah. Sin, violence, and every kind of despicable perversion is practiced, accepted, and legislated.

God’s Word warns us that there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV). This is certainly a reflection of today’s world.

We all reach an age when we make moral choices to either follow our own inclinations or to seek God’s leadership (Joshua 24:15). God promises that those who seek Him with all their heart, will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

God had placed a choice before us: do we continue following our own ways, or do we surrender all to His will? Faith and trust in God brings victory over the god of this world, for everyone born of God overcomes the world (I John 5:4).

Whether people believe it or not, we are living the Bible in real time while God is overseeing every event, person, and thing in the entire universe. Therefore, we must surrender all by placing our confidence and faith in Him.

Surrendering can be compared to a house that has many rooms. The living room, kitchen, and bathroom are beautifully kept so when visitors come, they receive a favorable impression. But then there are other rooms where the doors are kept closed because things are a mess. That is a picture of our lives. We show our best side to the world but keep those other areas hidden. However, they are not hidden from God. He is waiting for us to open those rooms, so He can help us clean up those areas that are robbing us of His truth and blessings.  

PRAYER: FATHER, I ask your forgiveness for making decisions before seeking You in prayer and for not making Your Word a priority. Help me to trust and surrender all to You. As this world grows darker and increasingly evil, I realize that I need Your help now more than ever before. Each day, give me strength and faith to trust You and to surrender my will and all that I am into Your capable hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.  

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