Are you scared right now? Something is going on in this world and it isn’t good. Things are going bad in this world and seemingly getting worse every day. Look back to ten years ago. Was there as much turmoil, weather problems, violence, social debasement, or general hostility during that time? If you think about it, each year things are getting worse by the day.
Materialism and political correctness are the name of the game now. Conforming to the world is the mainstay for the population at large. Possessions, life, friendships, are all superficial. People are lost. They are the unsaved. They are people who don’t know about salvation. They are people who don’t know Jesus.
I have unsaved friends (working on them) who have the same feeling we saved folks have; that something is amiss, something is coming, but they don’t know what it is, to them it is a feeling of coming despair; a feeling of the unknown future and a fear of what is coming, though they do not know what that is. To the unsaved it is a feeling of an impending doom, that fear you feel when you almost rear end someone on the road, that moment you realize the car in front of you stopped and you didn’t.
The unsaved, those that don’t know Christ Jesus as their Savior, don’t understand what is coming. They don’t understand the things happening in the world are supposed to happen this way. They don’t get that events must unfold as prophecy has announced. They don’t get that the end is near, very near. They watch the news, read the newspapers and are overwhelmed by what is happening in this world. Some, I must say, don’t care, but those the unsaved who I know are troubled by what is going on with our world, and have a sense that something is afoot.
Their inner being is telling them, no, warning them that something is going to happen, but they don’t know what to do about it. They don’t know that Jesus is the answer. They don’t understand, so they go on with life with an inner fear trying to distract themselves with worldly things. They are consumed with worldly desires and the debauchery that Satan has to offer to keep them distracted from what is inevitably going to happen: The Rapture of the saved, the whisking away of those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, those who believe in His crucifixion and resurrection and are born-again by the Spirit of God.
I truly feel sorry for these people. These people are not just those who don’t go to church but they are Sunday morning Christians as well. These Sunday morning Christians are just that, they are only “Christians” on Sunday mornings, gloriously “saved” for the couple of hours that they are in church, then leave. I’m not saying there are those that aren’t truly investigating the Lord and have a heart to be with Him and to be saved.
But there are many who go because they feel that is enough; going to church and singing and listening to the message of the pastor is good enough to go to heaven. They may raise their hands during worship and even say, “Amen” when everyone else does, and shake hands with everyone and give a great big greeting with a smile. But when church is over they go home back to their regular routine, without a thought of what was said in church or a thought about God. They just want to get home so they can watch their favorite team with a beer in hand, go shopping at the mall, or whatever.
What a surprise they will have when the Rapture comes and they are left behind. “Woe is me,” they will think and say. They thought going to church was enough. They thought being good was enough. What wasn’t enough; they didn’t accept Christ, His blood, His sacrifice for their sins.
John 14:6 says: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (KJV).
How simple is John 14:6? Jesus is the way to salvation, the way to heaven. All one has to do is accept that Jesus is their Savior who forgave their sins and washes them clean of uncleanliness. I don’t know why this is so hard for people to do. Once I figured it out, it was the easiest and best choice I ever made.
I believe people are scared to be saved. I think people are scared because they will have to give up the worldly ways, give up their autonomy to do what they want without consequences to their conscience because once you get saved, there is a new standard to live by: that of Christ and what the Bible teaches.
These people are scared because they think they will lose their freedom. What they don’t realize is that they will be released from bondage and will be freer than they have ever been when they accept Christ. Ask any believer this and they will tell you that with Christ they feel freer than they did before they knew Him. There is freedom in Christ, a fulfillment of love and hope.
To those that do feel scared about accepting Christ, don’t be scared. Don’t be scared of losing your freedom, for when you accept Christ, you will lose your old self and will become a child of God, a marvelous and wonderful thing. You will be free from the bondage of the world.
What I mean by the world is that which is not of God. The world is what is against and opposed to Christ’s teachings. The world is full of temptations, of ungodly acts, and Satan uses the worldly things, like money, sex, drugs, fads, etc. to distract people and keep them away from God.
Satan and the world are opposed to God. The world is revolved around things that are not of God and is designed to keep and distract you from God. The world keeps you in bondage to the world. It’s like a circular pattern that never ends. You live in the world and get stuck in it, going around in circles without hope, without a way out, without God in your life. The only way to break this cycle is to become a child of God through accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior.
The world and Satan will do their best to keep you away from Christ. The world offers all sorts of things and temptations that are so keen on keeping you away that most of the time the world is effective at doing so. The world and Satan have had thousands of years of practice and refinement in their effort to sway people away from Christ.
I urge you to break that cycle by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you are scared to do so, know that it isn’t you making you scared, but the world and Satan’s influence on you that has planted that seed in your mind that accepting God is not fun, is not the only way to heaven, and will take away your freedom.
Accept Christ and you will be set free from the bondage of sin and death. By death I mean hell. Christ is the only door through which you can enter to heaven. Just being a good person isn’t good enough. You have to accept Christ in your heart and live for Him. Do so and you will be a changed and saved person.
You know what the world fails to do to distract you from Christ? It is your heart. If you are not of Christ, there is a sense in your heart of dissatisfaction with life, and emptiness that just can’t be filled. Just sit for a moment and think about this. Does your heart feel empty? Does your life feel like it is lacking something?
The world and Satan will have you believe you can fill that void in your heart and life through the world and not Christ—by tempting you with material things, sinfulness, and other distractions that you may seek to fill that void in your heart but never will.
The one and only thing that can make your heart feel fulfilled, to take that emptiness in your heart away, is Christ. It isn’t about feeling good, but it is about fulfillment of your heart.
Even when you accept Christ, you will still face troubles of everyday life and will face challenges. The things that will be different will be your heart filled with Christ and you will be able to face those troubles and challenges with a different, godly attitude that you didn’t have before because you will know that God is with you and will support and take care of you, regardless of the situation. His love will never end for you.
Don’t be scared of Christ. Embrace Him. Turn from your old ways and become a new person with Christ as your central focus. By accepting Christ, you will not lose anything but will gain everything, specifically, a heart full of love and eternity in heaven.
God bless all and take care.
John Lysaught