Press On

To say I have a heavy heart is an understatement. Every day I am confronted with the direction in which our world is headed, and the knowledge threatens to suck the daily joy from my soul.

Killing innocent lives through abortion is considered a solution to a problem, by unbelievers as well as people who claim Jesus as their Savior.

Filth pours from the television and has invaded our kid's Disney movies.

Children are being taught that it's fine to be discontent with their gender.

Pastors, in general, don't preach SIN anymore.

True evangelism in our churches is not popular.

Churches care more about what the government thinks about them than what God thinks.

Christians are being perceived as evil because they take a stand for Biblical principles.

Believers are being martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Teachers are teaching their students unabashedly that they have come from monkeys.

Religions put their hope in their "good" works or into their prayers to the dead in an effort to earn their way to heaven.

One has to watch over their shoulder at all times.

Human trafficking has exploded.

Child pornography is raging like wild fire.

Confronting people's blatant sin of immorality is considered unloving.

Profanity isn't even given a second thought.

People are more inclined to save their dog from drowning than their neighbor.

Churches don't take a stand on major issues anymore out of fear of offending someone.

The endless search for knowledge never satisfies.

Pleasure is the ultimate goal.

This is the world in which I live. It doesn't come as a surprise to me. God has warned in II Timothy 3:2-7, "In the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth."

And yes, my heart is so heavy to see the world around me. This last week, I felt like I was brought face to face with the reality of our deplorable state. And yes, it brought discouragement. BUT GOD. He knew our future before he brought Adam up from the ground. As the red carpet is being unrolled into the end times, God wrote the final pages, and it is a good ending. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) And so, this knowledge should motivate us to keep pressing forward. There are so many that need to hear God's good news of salvation, and our time is running out. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." (Matthew 9:37)

As I enter this week, I desire to run my race not in fear or discouragement. I do not want to sit on the sidelines and lament the woes of the world. I want to run with renewed hope and determination. Jesus is coming, and it's time to work!