Call to Persevere

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:19)

During the worldwide pandemic and the world turning against Christians, the Lord has called us to persevere. The future for non-Christians is unsure and fearful, and many people are suffering financially and emotionally. “Symptoms of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder increased considerably in the United States during April–June of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.” (CDC, 24 Nov 20)

Persevere with Power of Christ

Christians are called to persevere because we are comforted and guided by our Lord, and our soul is protected for eternity. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Pray and ask the Lord for his power to persevere with His strength and patience. Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, (Colossians 1:11)

The Lord will guide us through anything with his love, power, and strength, if we depend on Him with faith. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13) Only Christ can give us perseverance because his love and peace continually feed our soul from the Spirit.

When we are eternally minded, we are closer to the Lord where we find comfort for our souls. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Being eternally-minded helps us to keep our soul in the Kingdom. Our soul goes where our thoughts go and the Kingdom is within us. Nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. (Luke 7:21)

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28) Satan wants us to fear physical death, but Christ overcame death for us.

At physical death our body goes back to the earth, and our eternal soul goes back to God. If a time occurs where our physical life is threatened, as many Christians are experiencing today, the Lord will give us the strength just as the Father gave Jesus the strength to endure the cross.

When our physical life ends our soul separates from our body and we are still alive and with Christ.

Overcome Fear from Satan

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) Satan will try to make us fearful of the future, pull us away from God and entice lost souls into worldly escapes such as alcohol, drugs, or suicide. The only way to escape Satan’s fear is Christ’s love.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27) We can be comforted knowing the Lord gives us peace through the Holy Spirit that always feeds our soul. As we serve the Lord, our hearts get filled with His divine love; and love cast out fear.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18) It’s impossible for the Lord’s perfect love in our hearts to coexist with Satan’s fear. Love casts out fear.

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) The Lord is our light and salvation, and the Lord is sovereign over all creation including Satan. The Lord doesn’t want us to live in fear, but live by faith with our hope in Christ.

This world is not our permanent home, Heaven is our eternal home and the Lord will not let anything keep us from being with Father and Son in Heaven.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4) When Satan’s fear attacks our thoughts, we change your thoughts to the Lord for His strength and power. We overcome Satan’s fear by trusting God’s promises in the Word.

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:19) We put our hope for the Lord to give us His strength to persevere this temporary life, and we put our hope in eternal life.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10-13) This promise from the Lord is very powerful and with faith it can sustain us through life. We can persevere through anything with the Lord’s strength and His perfect love for us.

The Lord is With Us

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9) The Lord is always with us and He will guide us with His wisdom, courage, and strength. How confident would we be if Christ walked with us in the flesh?

Christ makes his home in our hearts and gives us whatever we need to persevere life on earth and into Heaven. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. (Ephesians 3:17) Christ cannot be any closer than making His home in our hearts, the perfect place to be so He can give us His strength and courage to persevere this life.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:6-8) The Lord goes before us and He is with us, and tells us not to fear. The Lord knows our future and He will prepare us for what we face in the future.

Serve the Lord

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) The best way to overcome fear is to serve the Lord by bringing His love and comfort to others. When we minister to others, God loves increases in our hearts and our focus moves towards God and others. With our thoughts focused on God and others and less on ourselves, the more we overcome the world and we are free.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

We are no longer a slave to the world and we can see ourselves as ambassadors for Christ in foreign land. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:20) As we serve the Lord as ambassadors, love increases in our hearts, and He takes away our fear.

Serving the Lord brings us closer to Him and the Father, and we depend on the Lord to be with us. When we minister to the world we live in the Word, prayer, and fellowship, because that is what equips us to bring the Lord’s Truth to others.

Serving the Lord brings spiritual growth and draws us closer to the Lord, and fear diminishes when we comfort others because God comforts us. Our desire changes to be with the Father and the Son in Heaven.

We now understand and agree with the words the apostle Paul said: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed. (Philippians 1:21-23)

Conclusion

Don’t let Satan’s fear enter your heart, but trust the Lord and His sovereignty over all creation.

Remember you live in victory because we are in God’s family and Heaven is our eternal home. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)