A Reponce to Current Times, Part II

As we all look around at the current state of our nation and world, your heart might too be burdened. I have been praying diligently, asking the Lord how we should respond as Christians to the world in the current economic and social conditions that are presenting themselves to us on an almost hourly basis.

The blogs that I will be writing over the next few weeks are specific verses and areas the Lord has shown me as He works in my life to clean me up and purify (sanctification) it for His purposes.
All of these have spoken to the core of my life, causing me to careful examine my attitudes, purposes, motive, actions, and ultimately, my core character as a Christian.

Persistence In the Midst of Trials

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition form sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” -- Hebrews 12:1-3

Unemployment, financial loss, cancers of various kinds, brain tumors, death of a family member, anxiety and life-stresses, chaos and a loss of organization, a bad relationship causing stress, temptations from worldly sources, losing your home, etc!

The list of the things we face on in this world goes on, and on, if the issue your facing is not in above list, know that these are just a few of the requests that friends have presented to me this week!

Lord, what do we do in such a turbulent time?

“Cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you!” -- 1 Peter 5:7

I cannot tell you the peace that now permeates my life, even in the midst of uncertainty. Well, Brandon, have you been there, experience what I am experiencing? I may not have walked down the particular mile, and might not have worn you shoes, but, I do know the one who has! In the midst of what at that time seems to be your darkest hour, where can you turn?

The verse from Hebrews reminds us that if we "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross" so that through him our salvation, peace, health, security, and certainty of the future lies. If He was able to create the world in 6 days, breathing it into existence with His very breath, how then is not able to take care of that which we will face? Christ has already covered the penalty for sin when he willingly took that cross in our place. The power of that cross, the power of a risen Lord, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” -- Matthew 28:18b. If he holds all authority of heaven, telling the very stars how long they can exist, how much more does he hold his child! Rest in Him today! As you lay those burdens down at the feet of Jesus, I promise, it will get better. Remember, it takes one day at a time, but you have to fix your eyes on Jesus and him alone.

We are being watched by an ungodly world... they have their magnifying glass of focus on us. They want to know what causes that ridiculous joy that we have inside us, they want to know what drives us, motivates us to keep going when times really get hard. In my next blog, I will touch upon how we can shine like stars for God's Glory!

For more information on persistence, some of my favorite verses are:James 1:2-12 Philippians 3: 12-21

This blog was inspired by the song "All Ye" By Coffey Anderson. You can view his daily video and music blog on Tangle


If you would like to know how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or if you need prayer, encouragement, or simply like to leave a comment? Please email me, "brandon @ Project419 Dot Org" All email correspondence is kept strictly confidential unless you ask me to share your requests with others.