Start With the Person Almost no subject is harder to talk about than hell, and rarely because of the Scripture itself. The trouble is everything that gets attached to it. So, when someone brings it up, you are rarely starting with a clean slate. That should change how the conversation goes. If you lead with doctrine, you are answering a question the person probably never asked. What is in front of you is not a theological error to correct; it is a confused person, most likely afraid of what they do not yet understand. Lead with that in mind, or anything you say may land wrong and it will end in an argument. Start by acknowledging the hurt and mixed messages that person may be carrying. You don't have to voice it, but keep it close, because that hurt is not minor to them. We Can Afford To Be Patient Empathy without honesty leaves the person where they are; honesty without empathy slams the door shut. The goal is to hold both at once. Scripture reminds us that God is patient, not willing that anyone should perish but that all would come to repentance. If God Himself is that patient with people, we can afford to be patient with this conversation too. A great deal of the confusion comes from how differently hell has been taught. In some places it has been used as a tool of fear and control; in others it has been softened until it means almost nothing, or denied outright. When you meet someone angry or confused about this subject, one of those two extremes is often behind it. Acknowledging, "It sounds like someone used this to frighten you," or "It sounds like you were taught it doesn't really matter," usually does more to open a person up than an argument. It tells them you are trying to understand, not out to win. Answer the Hardest Objection The most common thing you will hear is some version of this: God arbitrarily sends people to hell, so how could He be good? Meet that with plain Scripture rather than a doctrine or theology, because Scripture is almost always a night-and-day difference from what they have been taught or picked up over time. Most people lead with the fact that unrepentant sin results in hell. That is true, but it is often not what someone needs to hear first or is asking. Start instead with God's heart, which is set on rescuing people, not condemning them. From there, talk plainly about responsibility, the part the "God sends people to hell" mindset leaves out. Consequences are woven through all of life already; every country and culture have laws, and actions carry results, this is a known fact. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 Many have only ever been taught the first half of that verse: the death, the threat. That half is where much of the confusion comes from. But the verse turns on a single word: gift. The same Scripture used to frighten them ends in an offer, and showing them the whole of it is what we need to do. Both Roads Are Chosen To say God simply consigns people to hell removes the weight of human responsibility entirely. But Scripture does not say judgment is dropped on us out of nowhere. It is a consequence of what a person does with the offer God has made. Both roads are a chosen destination. Salvation is offered, but heaven is never forced on anyone who does not want to be there. "He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God." John 3:18 Plainly, and I emphasize that word on purpose, explain that hell is never God's wish for anyone; it is what happens when the rescue He offers is turned down. Drink the water and your thirst is quenched; leave it, and it cannot help you. God offers salvation, and each of us decides whether we receive it. Stated this way, the conversation stops being "God is looking for a reason to punish people" and becomes "God is holding something out to everyone, and He will never force your hand" even if the person still wants to push back, its now a plain stated fact. The Temptation To Watch For There is a temptation to soften hell into nothing. Do not. It is not honest, and it leaves the person without what they need to think this over. Scripture speaks of hell as the real consequence of rejecting God, a state entered by those who would not have Him. You can say that plainly and still say it gently. What keeps it from sounding like a threat is the tone around it. If a person fully refuses God, He will honor the free will He Himself gave us. Is that what He wants? No. That is the whole reason Christ came and died, and why He is so patient with us now. He waits, because He does not want anyone lost. The door is genuinely open; no one who wants God is kept from Him, and He will not force His presence on someone who has spent a life refusing it. That is what you are really offering: not a verdict, but a choice they may not have understood before. Your job is not to frighten them into heaven. It is to clear away enough of the fear and bad teaching that they can see the offer for what it is. His patience is still running, and that, in the end, is the mercy you get to point them toward. And yes, some will still find other ways to argue, because this isn't only about hell but about personal accountability. Calmly explaining verifiable facts in Scripture can help with this one aspect of coming to Christ without Bible-thumping them. Not every religious question needs to be answered with a Bible quote. © Jane Isley

Maybe you thought faith would fix you, that once you found God, all the cracks in your soul would close, the loneliness would fade, and peace would come easily. You believed that saying yes to Him meant your heart would finally stop aching. But maybe that hasn’t happened. Some mornings, the heaviness still lingers. The prayers feel forced. The peace feels far. You look in the mirror and wonder why healing still feels unfinished. And sometimes that guilt creeps in, because how can you believe in a God who restores, yet still feel undone? The Shame of Still Hurting You’re not alone in that thought. Many people quietly believe that feeling broken means their faith isn’t strong enough. So they try to pray it away, worship it away, or hide it behind smiles and verses. But hiding pain never makes it holy; it only buries it under the weight of shame. Then, somewhere in Scripture, there’s this gentle reminder: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.” ~ Isaiah 42:3 Also, meditate on this: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” ~ Psalm 34:18 Let that sink in. God doesn’t throw away what’s bruised; He breathes on what’s barely burning. The God Who Sits With the Broken He’s not waiting for you to be whole before He holds you. He doesn’t turn away from the weak or ashamed. He draws near to the ones barely standing, the ones who whisper prayers between tears. Faith was never about pretending strength. It’s about showing up, trembling but trusting, and believing that He’s still enough. Even when life feels scattered in pieces, He sits right there among them, ever patient, present, and gentle. You’re Broken, But Not Abandoned Feeling broken doesn’t mean your faith has failed. It simply means you’re human, still being shaped, still being loved in process. Maybe that’s where true faith lives: in the raw, unpolished places where grace finally gets to breathe. So stop asking God to erase the cracks, ask Him to fill them with light instead, because every scar you’ve tried to hide can become a space where His love shines through. It’s a quiet proof that healing isn’t about perfection but about presence. And even when you still feel broken, you’re not forgotten. You’re being remade — slowly, softly, and honestly by the One who never stopped calling you His. A Little Note For You This piece is the beginning of a small series I’m creating for anyone who believes but still battles the ache inside. Each continuation will touch another layer of what it means to heal while believing: the waiting involved, the weariness, and also the hope that still rises. If your heart needs space to heal in faith, stay with me. We’ll walk through this, one truth at a time. © Favour

There was a time I prayed with all my heart but couldn’t seem to hear God. I waited, fasted, listened and yet all I felt was silence. I began to wonder if something was wrong with me, or if God had gone quiet. But the truth is, God doesn’t stop speaking. Sometimes, our hearts just become too crowded to notice His voice. He still speaks through His Word, His peace, and His Spirit but life gets noisy. Our minds fill up, our emotions overflow, and our spirit becomes too restless to receive what He’s been saying all along. Here are a few quiet blockers that often stand between us and His voice, and how to open the line again. 1. Sin and Misalignment Sin doesn’t make God love us less, but it makes us less sensitive to His presence. It clouds our discernment and dulls our awareness of Him. Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you.” When I realized that disobedience makes hearing harder, I stopped asking “Why can’t I hear God?” and started asking “Where did I stop obeying?” Repentance isn’t about shame; it’s more about returning home. When your heart turns back, His voice becomes clear again. 2. Busyness and Noise In a time that glorifies constant motion, I mean scrolling, planning, and rushing from one task to another, it’s pretty easy to confuse activity with connection. But God’s voice rarely shouts; it whispers most of the time, more like a gentle nudge. Elijah didn’t find Him in the fire, earthquake, or ways that seemed loud, but in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). If your days have no silence, your soul will have no space. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is stop, sit in the quiet, and let your spirit breathe again. 3. Emotional Overload When fear, anxiety, or bitterness take over, they drown out the peace that helps you recognize God’s presence. I’ve learned that I hear Him most clearly when I’m still inside, when I zero in and I’m not striving for answers, just resting in trust. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” His peace often comes before His words. When you feel that peace return, know that His presence has already arrived. 4. Neglecting His Word Sometimes we want a new word, but we haven’t sat with the written one. The more we read Scripture, the more familiar His tone becomes in our spirit. His Word is the tuning fork for every other way He speaks. Make Room If you’ve been struggling to hear God, don’t assume He’s far. He’s closer than your thoughts and even nearer than your next breath. Make room for stillness, put the noise away, and open His Word again. You’ll find that He never stopped speaking, He’s just been waiting for your heart to pay attention or quiet down enough to listen. © Favour

When God Has, But You Haven’t There comes a point in your walk with God where you realize He has forgiven you, but you still have not. You quote verses about grace, you believe in second chances, and yet when you think of your own mistakes, there is a small voice inside that says, “You should have known better.” I know that voice soooo well. It used to visit often, sometimes after I had prayed, sometimes in the quiet time just before sleep. It was not loud, but it lingered, replaying moments I wished I could rewrite. But one day, while praying about something completely different, God interrupted my thoughts with a simple phrase. He said, “You cannot walk in freedom while holding yourself hostage.” I meditated on those words so much so that they came alive in my Spirit with so much force. Carrying Guilt Is Not the Same as Caring It stopped me because that is exactly what I had been doing, carrying guilt like proof that I cared, as if forgiveness meant I did not take my sin seriously enough. But God does not ask for proof of sorrow; He asks for surrender. Take a look at this scripture: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12 When you truly believe that, you stop trying to be your own judge. You stop replaying what grace has already erased. Forgiving yourself is not about minimizing what happened, but it’s more about magnifying what Jesus did. Unforgiveness Can Look Like Pride I have learned that unforgiveness toward yourself is still a kind of pride. It says, “My standard matters more than God’s mercy.” But the cross changed that. The blood that covered your sin also covered your shame. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17 So now, when that devil tries to remind me of who I was, I remind him of who I am, redeemed, restored, still in process but no longer condemned. When he tries to remind me of my past, I remind him of his future of eternal doom that is sealed. I have learned to speak gently to my past, to thank God for what it taught me, and to let it rest. Grace Did More Forgiving yourself does not erase the memory, but it removes the sting. It is peace that says, “I did wrong, but grace did more.” “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”  Romans 5:20 And maybe that is what God wants you to know, too. You do not have to keep punishing yourself to prove you have changed. You have already been forgiven. Now it is time to agree with heaven and forgive yourself, too, and remember one of Jesus’ commandments is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” You can’t love your neighbor if you haven’t first loved yourself. Again, like I’ll always say: THE DEPTH OF YOUR COMPASSION LIES IN YOUR ABILITY TO FORGIVE YOURSELF. Reflection Prayer Father, thank You for forgiving me completely. Teach me to see myself through Your eyes of mercy. Help me let go of guilt and the need to earn what You have already given freely. Heal the parts of me that still hold on to shame, and fill my heart with peace. I choose today to walk in the freedom that comes from grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen. © Favour

In the days when your strength feels like that jar of oil in the widow’s hand, barely enough for one more day. You pray, but it feels like whispers hitting a closed sky. You give, but no one seems to notice. You serve, but your own soul feels hungry. You smile in public, but inside you are wondering, “How long can I keep this up?” And yet, the miracle never begins with abundance. It begins with what is left. When Elijah met the widow in Zarephath, he did not arrive with provisions. He showed up with a request: “Bring me a little water and a piece of bread.” It almost sounded inconsiderate. How could he ask for more when she barely had enough for herself and her son? But hidden in that strange instruction was an invitation to trust God with the last drop. That is how God still works. He rarely begins His miracles with overflow. He starts with surrender. That small, trembling “yes,” the willingness to give Him what is left, is what opens the flow of heaven. You may feel like your jar is almost empty. Maybe your oil looks like emotional strength, creative energy, faith for your dreams, or hope for your future. But the same God who sustained the widow is the same God watching over your life today. He never needed much to multiply. He only needed something surrendered. So before you count what is missing, pause and thank Him for what is still in your jar. That small reserve, your leftover hope, your quiet prayers, your decision to keep believing, is still enough for a miracle. Reflect On This Do not despise small faith or shame yourself for feeling weak. Even mustard seed faith can move mountains because it is not about the size of your belief but the strength of your God. He sees the oil, He honors the effort, and He never wastes obedience. A Simple Prayer Lord, I give You what is left in my jar, my small faith, my tired heart, and my limited strength. Breathe on it, and let Your supply never run dry in me. Teach me to trust You not because I have plenty, but because You are enough. Amen. © Favour

Before you scroll… please stay with this one briefly, not because it’s controversial, but because it’s necessary. There are Bible verses we quote so often that they start to sound like slogans. We put them on captions, say them in prayer, and even use them to encourage people. But sometimes… we misunderstand them, not because we’re “bad Christians,” but because we’ve heard them repeated without context for so long that we stopped asking what they truly meant. So here are six popular Scriptures that are frequently misinterpreted and what they actually mean when you read them in context. 1. “Money is the root of all evil.” – (1 Timothy 6:10) Most people say this like the Bible hates money, but the verse doesn’t say money is evil. It says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money is a tool. The problem begins when money becomes a god, and anything that has your heart or takes the place of God in your life has become your god. 2. “God helps those who help themselves.” (Not in the Bible) This is one of the most quoted “Bible verses” that isn’t in the Bible at all. It sounds really wise, but it can quietly promote self-reliance over dependence on God. The gospel is literally the opposite: God helps the helpless. 3. “Judge not.” – (Matthew 7:1) People use this verse to shut down any correction or accountability, but Jesus wasn’t saying “never judge.” He was warning against hypocritical judgment, where you condemn someone while ignoring your own issues. If Jesus truly meant “never correct anyone”, then He wouldn’t have corrected people, and He wouldn’t have told His followers to correct people. The Bible also teaches righteous judgment, correction, and discernment. 4. “Ask and you shall receive.” – (Matthew 7:7) Many people read this like God is a vending machine. Ask for money, cars, anything at all… Then Boom!!!! He must do it, but the context is about asking with faith and alignment. Other scriptures explain that God responds according to His will, not our greed. God is a Father, not a genie. 5. “I can do all things through Christ.” – (Philippians 4:13) This verse gets used for everything…sports, exams, business, and success, but Apostle Paul wasn’t talking about achieving big dreams. He was talking about learning contentment in hardship and abundance. “I can do all things” meant: I can endure, survive, and remain faithful. 6. “Train up a child…” – (Proverbs 22:6) You’ll agree with me that this verse is often used as a guarantee: “If you raise your child right, they will never go astray.” But Proverbs are not promises, they are wisdom principles. They describe what is generally true, not what is always guaranteed. Children still have free will as they grow older and make decisions for themselves The Problem Isn’t Quoting Scripture, It’s Quoting It Without Context. Many of these misunderstandings happen because we read verses like quotes, but the Bible wasn’t written as random motivational lines. The Bible is a story, a message, and a revelation. And when we read it with the help of the Holy Spirit and in context, we don’t just sound smarter, we become more grounded, more mature, and more spiritually accurate. So the next time you hear a popular verse… Pause, read around it, and then ask what it truly meant, because the Bible doesn’t need our exaggeration to be powerful. It’s already powerful!!!!! © Favour

Depression is one of those words people throw around like it only means crying every day. But for many people, depression doesn’t come with tears. Sometimes it comes quietly as silence, numbness, forced laughter, or productivity that is actually pain in disguise. It can look like a normal life on the outside, but an abnormal heaviness on the inside. Freepix And the scariest part is this: you can love God and still feel this way. That moment when you’re “fine” but you’re fading. Sometimes depression also shows up as waking up tired even after sleep, losing interest in things you used to love, feeling off for weeks without knowing why, or overthinking until your mind feels noisy. You may still show up, post online, and even laugh so much around people, but inside, you feel like you’re slowly disappearing. Because it doesn’t look like sadness, people don’t always recognize it, and sometimes, even you don’t. You may assume you’re lazy, ungrateful, or spiritually weak. But you’re not. You’re tired, and you may be carrying more than your soul was designed to carry alone. Even strong believers can feel this low Some people believe that if you’re truly a Christian, depression shouldn’t touch you, but the Bible doesn’t support that. David, a man after God’s heart, wrote words that sound exactly like depression: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?”— Psalm 42:11 That wasn’t a faithless man speaking. That was a man who knew God but also knew pain. David didn’t pretend; he spoke honestly, and this is the point God wants us to get to most times. God is not offended by your weakness If you’ve been feeling guilty because you’re not as spiritual as you used to be, hear this clearly: God is not offended by your weakness; He is actually drawn to it. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”— Psalm 34:18 So what do you do when you feel this way? First, stop pretending you’re okay because you don’t heal what you keep hiding. Tell God the truth, even if all you can say is, “Lord, I’m not okay.” Next, return to small spiritual habits. Depression makes big things feel impossible, so start small: one verse, one worship song, one honest sentence to God. And please don’t isolate. God heals us through prayer and through people. Depression grows in isolation, but healing grows in safe connection. If you’ve been fading, don’t conclude that God has left you. Sometimes depression doesn’t mean you’re far from God; it could mean that you need Him to hold you differently. Maybe more gently, or more closely, and He will if only you but draw nigh to him and not away from him. © Favour

I haven’t written here in months because life pulled me into quiet seasons, and in the silence, I sometimes wondered if I had been forgotten by people, opportunities, or even by God. But being out of sight doesn’t mean being abandoned. Sometimes, it’s God’s own way of pulling you back to prepare you for what’s next, and so His pause isn’t punishment, it’s purpose. The Lie We Believe Most Times When life slows and doors close, it’s easy to think we’ve been set back. Our culture keeps telling us that visibility equals value, applause equals worth, and speed equals success. So when the spotlight fades, insecurity begins to sneak in subtly. I need you to understand that silence is not absence. God’s pullback is intentional, and though the world may not see you right now, but He is shaping you where it matters most, especially in the hidden, unseen places. Hidden Before Revealed Look at Moses, hidden in Midian before the burning bush. David, anointed but hiding from Saul and what about Jesus, living thirty quiet years before His ministry? God does His deepest work where no one is watching. The pullback seasons strengthen your faith, refine your motives, and build patience. They teach you to trust Him without applause. Out of sight doesn’t mean He is absent, He is only preparing you for your moment to step into purpose. The Return Looks Different When God sends you back into visibility, you’re not coming back to prove yourself , but you’re coming back ready, stronger, quieter and much more grounded in what you’ve learned while waiting. Less desperate for approval, and more committed to your calling. If you read to this point, I want you to know that your hidden season wasn’t wasted. It was a workshop for your life, character, faith, future and destiny. Trust the Hidden Work If you’re out of sight right now, rest. God hasn’t lost track of you. The silence isn’t emptiness, but sacred preparation and refinement. Trust Him in the quiet, learn to patiently grow in the hidden, and when the time comes to step forward, you’ll step fully ready, rooted, and aligned with the purpose He has been quietly writing in you all along. © Favour

The Question Nobody Wants to Admit I know you’ve asked yourself that question more times than you’ll ever admit. In the mirror, after a loss, when someone overlooked you again, when you gave your all, and it still wasn’t enough. It’s a question that haunts achievers and dreamers alike…”Am I enough?” Enough to be loved? Enough to be chosen? Enough to be celebrated? We dress it up with confidence, drown it out with distractions, or bury it beneath work, but it keeps resurfacing. Every time we scroll through someone else’s highlight reel, success suddenly seems to be slow, and we begin to feel unseen. The harsh reality is that that question isn’t innocent. It’s a thief!! It steals your joy, your peace, and your ability to see your own worth. It makes you chase validation that was never meant to define you. The Silent Standard That’s Draining You Our world constantly measures worth in terms of followers, beauty, and wins. You could have ten compliments and still obsess over the one person who didn’t clap. You could be doing better than you were last year and still feel like you’re losing. Why? Because comparison doesn’t let you rest, it keeps saying, “Do more, be more, prove more.” But no matter how much you achieve, it will always shift the finish line, and it’s like running on a treadmill that never stops until you’re breathless, empty, and wondering why joy feels so far away. You Were Never Supposed to Earn "Enoughness" Along the way, we learned to treat worth like a reward… "If I succeed, I’m enough." "If they love me back, I’m enough." "If everything goes right, I’m enough." But being enough was never something to achieve; it was something to accept. Scripture says: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” ~Psalm 139:14 You were designed in divine confidence. You are already God’s masterpiece and not a mistake that needs constant fixing, but a creation that’s unfolding beautifully in time. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…” ~Ephesians 2:10 You don’t need to prove your value to people who only see fragments of your story. Your worth was settled long before anyone had an opinion. You are enough, not because the world says so, but because you were created with intention. Your existence is proof that you were meant to carry light in this world, even if you’re still learning how to shine it. The Moment You Stop Chasing Freedom begins when you stop chasing “enough” and start embracing who you already are. It’s not about pretending everything’s fine; it’s about deciding that your worth isn’t up for debate. You start to walk differently when you stop performing for approval. You start to breathe again when you realize that you’re not behind, you’re becoming. Growth takes time, healing takes time, too, but when we speak of identity? That’s settled. You are already enough. Not a work in progress, trying to qualify, but a soul unfolding into its fullness. A Reminder for Every Time You Forget When the doubt creeps in, remember this: You are not the sum of your likes, your losses, or your lapses. Those don’t do you for a single second. You are a story still being written, and so no single moment defines you. You were never meant to be totally perfect; you just need to be present. So today, I need you to stop asking if you’re enough. Start asking if you’re being true. Because when you live from truth, “enough” stops being a question and starts being who you are. If this spoke to you, take a moment today to pause and breathe. You don’t have to earn your worth. You already are enough. Drop a thought in the comments and tell me one truth you’re choosing to believe about yourself again. Stop letting the lie of “not enough” run your life. That’s the devil. Stand up and reclaim your voice. You owe it to yourself and to the One who made you to live like you already are what you’ve been chasing. © Favour "What God says about your worth was never waiting on your performance, your highlight reel, or anyone's approval to make it true." Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Remove labels and step away from all definitions. In truth, we do not know exactly when Christ is going to take the first Resurrection or the second Resurrection. (Well, for the second one, we do get a time frame, but since we don’t know the first, we still don’t know the second anyway.) I have my own opinions based on Scripture regarding the infamous rapture theories and can debate with the best of them. However, simply put, no one knows exactly when the clock will run out, not even Jesus. That’s why we were given Revelation. It is our master guidebook for believers, non-believers, and fence-straddlers. But I’m not here today to debate all the rapture timeline theories. I know it’s coming; I’m prepared to either experience it or wake up one day in Heaven, but are you? I’m here to ask some hard and uncomfortable questions. We are cautioned that to live the life of following Jesus is not easy, we will be met with battles, obstacles, persecutions, and even death for following Him. You can not be a Christian and live an easy life, there is no way. If you have lived a perfectly “blessed” life without storms and trials, then I call into question who exactly is taking your wheel. What I’m talking about today is what kind of person will you become when crap hits the fan. When everything truly starts falling apart in this country and all over the world. Even though Jesus will come out of nowhere one day. Those battles, obstacles, and persecutions we are warned about will get worse with time before Jesus comes. Our world will keep turning from Him, one person at a time, till there’s nothing left of moral compasses or toleration for Christianity. Has anyone ever caught this in Revelations? “I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.” There is only ONE Book of Life. That should hit you hard in the gut; that should make you rethink your faith and where you stand with God. Are you prepared for what will inevitably come knocking on our door? We live in a country that, while yes, pushes back on our faith, we are still allowed to practice. Some may lose jobs because of their faith, but they can move on to find another job, churches get vandalized, but insurance pays to repair them, some are harassed, attacked, or worse for their faith, but they receive medical care, get to file police reports, and have the right to a funeral in their faith, not be buried in a ditch somewhere. I see too many who think our country is horrible now. Ranting and raving, crying and in hysterics, that is the end, we are about to be taken by God. No, we are not. We are not even close to what Revelation makes clear as day. When you have those freedom’s above and more, no — crap has not hit the fan yet. That’s what has me questioning Christians now more than ever before as to whether they can actually handle what is to come. America has become lazy, and so has the church. Because, frankly, too many Christians have grown too comfortable behind their pulpits, pews, and traditions. Living in a fantasy world of the blessed “rapture,” they believe they will not experience at least some of what is to come. This is dangerous, this will lead many to fail and turn from God. Many use Revelations for their answers, forgetting another very important Scripture. Matthew 24, where the disciples ask Jesus, “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus is very clear, nowhere does He say, don’t worry guys, I’m gonna snap you up before anything hits the fan, no, instead He says : Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 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. — ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS — Jesus clearly tells us in verse 9 that we will be handed over to be persecuted, killed, and hated for our faith. Those of us alive when the clock starts counting down will experience this. If you believe in Jesus, then you believe His words. Why ignore these words? Does this scare you, and would you rather stand with your head buried in the sand? Are you ready? Here are some blunt things to ask yourself. When that clock time runs down: Will you be the one who turns a blind eye to those around you suffering and in need of help, to keep what little you have for yourself? Will you keep silent your faith so you can go your way, trying to live another day in hiding? Are you going to be the one who gets on your knees and praises God for each breath you have to utter His name and share His message while you are hungry, cold, and chased down? Are you strong enough in your faith to sit by and watch your family starve, or will you turn away from God and choose to be marked in order to feed them? Will you be able to starve to death or thirst to death with God’s name on your lips, or will you curse His name and take that bottle of water offered by the enemy? Will you be able to live with scraps, or will you turn your back on Him for the pleasures that the world is your comfort now, worth your soul? Are you strong enough to watch your children be mercifully beaten, assaulted, and killed in front of you all, for the enemy to tempt you to renounce Jesus? Whatever theory you might believe about the end times, realize that Christians will experience some of it; we are not immune. I see faith sorely lacking in the Church these days, I see people following like blind sheep who are unwilling to read the Bible or let the Holy Spirit in. I see Christians bending rules set by God so they can make themselves happy, I see lazy Sunday participation and weekly worldly actions, I see laziness — The church is not ready. Persecutions are coming our way. Severe atrocities are already happening to the faithful, right now. If we were meant to bypass that, the “rapture” would have already occurred. And America is not some great and mighty under special treatment and safety from God. All I ask is that you think about this and ask yourself, are you ready, and which book will your name be in? © Jane Isley Screenshot from OpenDoors