Let Hope Replace Fear
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.
1 Peter 3:14
The world is changing and turning against Christians as prophesied in the Bible. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. (John 16:2) Today, Christians are persecuted and killed by people who think they are serving God, and governments have passed laws leading to the shutdown of Christian Churches.
Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24 NASB) We put our hope in Christ to carry us through life and into our eternal home. Christ died on the cross so we can have eternal life, and he is certainly not going to let Satan keep us from our eternal, heavenly home. He will give us whatever we need to endure life, if we ask and have faith.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13) Our spiritual war is not against flesh and blood, but it against Satan. We fight this spiritual war by presenting the Truth to the world to combat Satan’s lies and deception. This will strengthen our hope in Christ. The more we serve the Lord, the more hope we have in Christ and less fear we will have. We know this temporary world is not our home because we know Heaven is our eternal home.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 NASB) We serve the Lord with His power through the Spirit, and we do this with peace and joy from God. When our faith in Christ is driven by the love in our hearts, we become a Light on a hill in this world. The more we are a Light with Christ guiding us, the closer we are to the Lord. When we are close to the Lord, fear from Satan decreases.
Today, put your hope in Christ and know He is with you. Be a Light for Christ today, and remember this world is not your home; Heaven is your home. Put your priority on eternal life, not on this temporary life, and live as an ambassador for Christ.
Prayer: Lord, increase my hope in You every day. Take away any fear from Satan and replace it with my hope in You. Guide me to be Light in this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.