The spirit of discouragement is Satan’s most potent weapon against God’s elect. Most often, he uses it to convince us we have brought God’s wrath upon ourselves by not measuring up to his holy standards. But the apostle Paul urges us not to fall prey to the devil’s snare: “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
Many in the church today try to determine the nearness of Christ’s return by reading the signs of the times. Yet one of the clearest statements Jesus makes about his second coming is contained in the verse above: The end will come only after the gospel has been preached to all nations — as a testimony.
Tempting the Lord begins when God allows a crisis in our lives to intensify. Why does he do this? What is he after? Our Lord allows this to happen so he can get at the last roots of our unbelief! His Spirit goes into every chamber of our hearts, searching out the most damnable things — pride, self-sufficiency and all else that hinders his fullness in us.
Throughout history, people have believed they could handle any calamity well enough without faith in God. The prophet Isaiah wrote that such scoffers boast, “When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us” (Isaiah 28:15). Isaiah calls these people spiritually blind (see Isaiah 26:11); in other words, they will not attribute any calamity to God’s work. Instead, they will act as if God is not in heaven at all.
The conditions in the world today are causing fear to mount. We are witnessing the words of Jesus come to pass: “On the earth distress of nations, with perplexity … men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26). Christ is warning us, “Without hope in me, multitudes of people are literally going to die of fright.”
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be constantly aware that the devil is out to destroy us. Therefore, Paul says, we need to know as much as we can about the enemy’s tactics and plans “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
A complaint among Christians all over the world is, “I can’t find a good church anywhere! I need a place where my family can be ministered to and where my children can grow up knowing true righteousness.”
Too many pastors are constantly trying out new things in church — new methods of evangelism, new music, new “revival” movements. There is so much hype and foolishness — all kinds of distractions from the gospel.
Scripture makes it clear that it is possible for every true follower of Jesus to see and understand the glory of God. Indeed, our Lord reveals his glory to all who ask and seek for it diligently. I believe the revelation of God’s glory will equip his people to endure the perilous days ahead.
The glory of God is not a physical manifestation or an ecstatic feeling that overcomes you. Nor is it a kind of supernatural aura or angelic light that bursts forth. Simply put, God’s glory is a revelation of his nature and attributes!
Whatever happened to repentance? We rarely hear the word mentioned in most churches these days. Pastors seldom call for their congregation to grieve over wounding Christ by their wickedness. Instead, the message we hear from many pulpits today is, “Just believe. Accept Christ and you’ll be saved.” The text used to justify this message is found in Acts 16:30-31: “‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.’”
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
The Greek word for “examine” here means “scrutinize, assess.” The apostle Paul is saying, “Test yourself to see if you are walking according to God’s Word.” We are to constantly ask ourselves, “Am I changing? Am I becoming more loving and tenderhearted? Is my conversation becoming more righteous? Am I still complaining or am I beginning to speak edifying words of faith? Am I consciously trying to please Jesus?”