The Beginning of Sorrows
You will begin to face more challenges beloved. The days are being stretched, tested, pushed and pulled, and your faith will reciprocate this. Jesus encouraged us, I am encouraged by His word, it is the very thing to hold on to when the foundations shift, the storms come, and our faith is tested to its limits. We are experiencing signs of the end times, the end of the age, the Greek "parousia" the 'coming of the LORD'. Esdras 2 (also called Esdras 4) parallels this passage about the nearing of the end of the age: "there shall be seen earthquakes and uproars of the people of the world." Jesus reassures us in v12 and 13 of Matthew 24: because of the increase of wickedness, the love for God of many will become cold, but the ones who stand firm to the very end will be (made) saved.
Matthew 24:6-8
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." (NIV 1st Century) -
Matthew 24:8-9
"All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (KJV)
The battle is not of flesh and blood, but of powers of the air, of principalities. We have a tri-part being: emotions, fleshly desires, and spirit. It is time to be led by the Spirit, and to feed our spirit, to see and live and speak in the spirit. The enemy is prowling like a roaring lion, ready to devour, and devour he truly will.
Make your mind your friend and operate with the mind of Christ.
But first acknowledge, we cannot address our thinking until we address the lies.
Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many trouble, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, (like Jesus on the cross) not one of them will be broken.
Beloved, be awake! Be ready, and live each day prepared, as though it were your last. Because the signs will increase, the birth pangs will get stronger, while the world continues to groan under the increasing weight of its sin and the coming of the Son of Man is imminent.