“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). In the third part of “Take a Breath,” we ended with the following sentence, “Instead of decrying the state of the world and our “hopeless” situation, we should concentrate on something else instead of being so alarmed.” Today, we will look at what I was referring to.
I love the words of the Christian song, “Jesus is Coming Soon,” because it perfectly summarizes the premise of this 4-part series of articles. Here is the opening verse, “Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear. Freedom we all hold dear now is at stake…” Since we have already established that we are living in troublesome times, it would be wise for us to know how to cope with the stress of our dilemma. Luckily, the words of Joshua 1:8 provide us with a clue. The only answer is to bury ourselves in the Word of God… study it religiously, absorb the information into every atom of our being, and then live it faithfully.
Without the proper knowledge, comfort will escape you because it is God’s word that provides the knowledge and strength you need to overcome the feelings of fear and despair. The more you know about God’s word, the more you will be insulated against the concerns of the world. Of course, I am not suggesting that you bury your head in the sand or hide in your home and isolate yourself from any news. We need to know what is happening in the world to know what to pray for, so watching, listening to, or reading the news is essential, but we need to do that from a Christian perspective. As children of God, we should always be aware of the eventual victor in the battle of good and evil, which, of course, is Christ.
But how would we know that if we don’t study the Bible? Preparation is everything. The more prepared you are, the less you stress; the less you stress, the happier and healthier you will be. Truth be told, I am not afraid of what is happening in the world or the second coming of Christ. I admit that I don’t want to die today, this month, or even this decade, but that does not mean I spend my hours and days anxious about it. I am prepared. My studies have shown me that God is ultimately in control, and my faithful service to Him assures me of victory despite a couple of lost battles along the way. The apostle Paul was not afraid of his end, and neither should we be – Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
I admit that no matter how prepared we are, there are times when any human will feel some anxiety or perhaps even fear, but being prepared allows you to slow down, take a deep breath, pray, relax, and return to a state of peace once again. Let’s close this short series with the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 1:7, “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Read those words and remind yourself that through Christ, you can dispel the fears that hold you captive to the devil’s evil intentions. If you are a Christian already, use the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to protect yourself from the negativity that is so rampant in the world today.
Now, when we sing the refrain of “Jesus is Coming Soon,” we will not only understand that the day and time are not ours to know but that we are not anxious about it either. In fact, we are looking forward to it. “Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon, many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound, all of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the skies, going where no one dies, heavenward bound.” Prepare for Him to come soon and you will not be caught on the wrong side of Judgment Day.
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