Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:21-23
All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matthew 24:8-10
Well… we certainly don’t hear sermons preached on these passages. They might be mentioned in passing but not dealt with directly. The truth of these statements Jesus makes is scary, staggering, and sobering. Families turning on one another, betrayal, persecution, these are VERY difficult things to ponder and much, much, harder to experience and live through.
So …these beg certain questions internally within me. Am I ready for this? Could I make it through something like this? Is my faith in Christ strong enough to endure such a terrible tests? Is my relationship with Him so close that I can hear His Voice in the moment that is filled with crisis and heartbreak?
So how do we even begin to prepare for such calamities? We begin NOW! In the times when our struggles are fewer… this is the time to prepare for the worst of times. If anyone has learned to ‘read’ the seasons and times they know how precarious we are currently in this day. So many disasters are at the precipice just waiting for that particular domino to be pushed so that the non-stoppable cascade will begin. And it’s not just one disaster waiting… it is many multiple areas that are looming on the very close horizon.
What is it that the Holy Spirit is having you deal with now? For so many in my close circle it seems the Holy Spirit is dealing with our ‘core’ issues (iniquities) that remained deep within our souls and lives, and are now being exposed and we are required to face them and deal with them. How does one prepare for a hazardous journey? Lightening the ’load’ now before having to encounter difficult mountains and tests that will have to be climbed and overcome.
Are you able to look at those deep issues the Holy Spirit is bringing up and showing you that are at the very depth of your soul? Admitting our iniquities is a difficult and painful process … but if we are to be ready for what is to come …we’ll need to deal with them now so that we no longer carry them. This is a process that will REQUIRE the close intimate work of the Holy Spirit and us agreeing to His counsel and us willing to surrender to Him on EACH issue.
Do you have those you can trust to talk about these incredibly hard issues? Remaining silent and not bringing them into the ‘light’ only delays the work and shortens the time for you to really be ready for what lies ahead of you.
How brave are you to pray ‘dangerous’ prayers? Have you really fully surrendered to Christ … or are there deep things in your soul that still need to be dealt with?
I will ponder the way that is blameless.
Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me. Psalms 101:2-3