We are living in perilous times. This
fact should be nothing new to us, scripture said that these days would be
coming.
We are living in the last days correct?
It is interesting these past 5-6 years.
As many of you know I have been promoting a preparedness mindset for some time
now.
But in being a watchman on the wall,
talking about preparedness and such I get emails from people calling me
"doom and gloom Gano" or something that tends to rain on someone's
parade.
It is interesting to fast forward to
today and look about. There is a lot of people who are hurting, feeling down,
not in a good position at all, hungry, without a home, jobless and the list
goes on.
I have been warning about this for
almost 20 years now, and now we are entering the throws of what scripture calls
perilous times.
People are beginning to realize that
the Bible was correct in warning us what is to come.
Folks, this is just the beginning.
Things are not going to get better, things are going to get worse. In fact far
worse.
I study history and have looked at what
took place during the great depression. I honestly believe that what we are
facing globally is far worse that what our grandparents faced at that time.
" Oh there goes Doom and Gloom
Gano again."
I really do not want to focus on the negative.
The issue is, I see is opportunity.
There are so many people out there who
are asking " Where is the hope?"
Years ago I was listening to Steven
Curtis Chapman CD. At the very beginning of the song "Heaven in the Real
World" there is a short speech. It has always stuck with me and when I
think of it, I am reminded 1 Peter 3:15 and where Christ told us to
"occupy till he returns.
The speech was given by Chuck Colson,
who I am not a fan of what so ever, but no matter what, the words still stuck
with me.
Here is what was said…
"Where is the
hope?
I meet millions of
people that tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us.
Where is the hope?
The hope that each of
us has is not in who governs us, or what laws are pass, or what great things we
do as a nation.
Our hope is in the
power of God working through the hearts of people.
That's where our hope
lies in this country.
And that's where our
hope lies in our life."
We are entering into an era where there
is no hope. People globally have been stripped of the knowledge of God, Jesus
and His Word.
There is a vacuum in every man, woman
and child's heart that calls out to our father in heaven.
We have forgotten how to have the power
of God work through the hearts of men.
Because we have forgotten our hope, we
have lost our faith.
In today's world people see what is
going on, but deep in the hearts many have questioned the truth and thought
that it was just a fairytale.
Sure they quote the scripture and claim
the title. But they did not have hope.
Scripture says…
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Where is the hope?
We have a chance to help renew the
hope.
But to find the hope, we need to renew
our faith.
To renew our faith, we need to renew
our minds.
Scripture says..
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
How do we renew our minds? We renew our
minds by being in God's Word.
See, it is His Word that gives us
power. It is His Word that lives in our hearts that will renew our minds.
By renewing our hearts and minds we are
able to then boldly go out and share the gospel.
See, that is the hope that people need.
They need the hope that no other can give but God. The hope of eternal life
with Him, our Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ.
"Our hope is in
the power of God working through the hearts of people."
Folks, the rubber is meeting the road.
People have lost their hope, their faith and with all of that gone, they are
losing their ability to care.
We may not be able to save the world,
but we can help share the hope with those whom we have influence with.
We have the chance to share the hope
with friends, family, co-workers, even fellow church members.
What we must be willing to do is just
take that first step in faith and allow the power of God to work through our
hearts.
How do we do that?
Sometimes it is as simple as being a
listening ear to one who is hurting.
Sometimes it is offering an extra bag
of rice, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread to a family who is hungry.
Sometimes it is a willingness to pray
with someone who has given up and has nowhere else to turn.
The perilous times are beginning, in
fact they are here.
We have a chance to make a difference,
but to do that, we need to have faith in things hoped for, we need to have our
minds renewed in His Word and in fellowship with Him.
And when we are ready, prepared,
renewed. It will be at those times that we will begin to see what God sees.
It is at that time where we have done
all, and when the evil day is upon us, that we will stand. We will be occupying
till He returns, we will have the power of God in us and allowing us to share
the blessed hope and His gift of life through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Where is the Hope?
The hope is in Jesus Christ. He is the
answer to the world's woes. We just got to get it out there one person at a
time.
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake
we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter
37 Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
That is our hope.
Nothing will separate us from the love
of God.
John 3:16 For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
That is our promise.
Now we need to share this truth, the hope to those who
have no hope in a hopeless world.