Well, breaking news this morning. China is warning other countries from making any trade deals with the United States. I think that um right now we are at a decisionmaking point and very close to a recession and I'm worried about something worse than a recession if this isn't handled well.
A recession is two negative quarters of GDP and whether it goes slightly there. We always have those things. We have something that's much more profound.
We have a breaking down of the monetary order. We are going to change the monetary order. Matthew 24:7, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
It's true the stock market did to Jesus. It died. Then on the third day, it was risen.
And then on the fourth day, it died again. Possibly never to return just like Jesus. 2 Peter 3:3 Know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lusts.
Doomsday prep is a big business in today's world and it's it is growing rapidly and it offers everything from escape tunnels to bunkers with AI technology and flammable moes. The demand for these apocalyptic bunkers is so high that their air filtration systems have become scarce. 2 Timothy 1:7.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. We are living in a season of change and accelerated events. But how many of these changes are pieces falling into place in the puzzle that is Bible prophecy?
With the news of the passing of Pope Francis, many people wonder who's next. With this news about the World Economic Forum, many people are wondering who's next. And when it comes to the US and the world, many are wondering what's next in terms of the economy, in terms of the growing disputes between countries.
And with every new Hollywood production, many people are wondering what else will they say? What else will they do? As they continue to mock Christianity, more and more people can see, they can notice and sense and feel that there's a spiritual battle taking place in this world.
There are forces for God and forces against God that are fighting. And the final reality is that no matter what frightens you in this world, no matter the level of persecution you face in this world, God's will is what will prevail in the end. Satan's modus operandi is fear.
And he has always used fear as a weapon. But as believers, I believe the reason the Bible gives us so many warnings to be vigilant, to be watchful, or to take heed is because we are forewarned. and therefore bore armed against the fearful attacks of the devil.
Bible prophecy has already told us that there will be conflicts among nations and this will increase. We've already been told about the mocking of God by unbelievers will continue and it will get worse. We've already been warned that dangerous times will come.
So we should not live in a fearful state when the Bible has given us the bigger picture. Headlines like this are spreading fear. An economic nuclear winter, that is the grim warning as one of the worst stock exchange blood baths in history continues to hit global markets.
A lot of people who have families who carpool, who go to and from the work, who live in the suburbs, who live in the cities, they're just wondering uh when things are going to get bad. Now, one video clip caught my attention over the past few days. In a video titled Singapore's PM's chilling warning to world amid chaotic Trump tariffs, we hear this.
The likelihood of a fullblown global trade war is growing. The impact of the higher tariffs plus the uncertainty of what other countries may do next will weigh heavily on the global economy. And in the next few moments, I'd like to tell you why as children of God, we should not be fearful even if the world is in chaos.
But first, I'd like to speak to those bracing for an economic collapse. In a sermon titled The Final Economic Collapse, Pastor John MacArthur gave his congregation a very serious warning. A warning that I'd like to share with you today.
He spoke along these lines. A worldwide economic boom will come. But keep in mind that when he said this, it was in the late '9s.
A one world global economy built on lust for luxury materialism. Are we not seeing economies built on lust for luxury and materialism in this day and age? Look at some of the parts of the world like Dubai in the Middle East or Las Vegas or Beverly Hills here in the states.
So many things are built to fulfill the lust for luxury and materialism. He then went on to offer this strong word saying, "May I make a suggestion, and you've got to work this out in your own life, lay up your treasure in heaven. " Lay up your treasure in heaven.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to have any money in Antichrist bank. And I know you need to prepare for the future, and I know it's important to save, but don't get caught up in the love of luxury and the love of material things. And don't get seduced by making more and more and more until you have way more than you could possibly use.
And you're going to find that the more you have, the less likely you are to let go of it. Don't get seduced. It's all coming down.
Let me ask you, how many of us live according to this principle? How many of us intentionally live with the mind state of storing up treasures in heaven? And so with this understanding, I want to let you know that despite the many voices out there warning of a global economic collapse or an impending financial disaster, you and I as believers in Christ, we should not live in fear.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. " Take note of two things here. The first is that fear according to the Bible, fear is not just a feeling.
Fear is not a mind state, but fear is a spirit. And the second point is that the Bible tells us that fear is not from God. So if fear is classed as a spirit, a spirit that is not from God, then that means fear is an evil spirit.
So dear friend, you should not fear because God has not given you an evil spirit. He has not given you a spirit of fear. He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline.
Abilities that result in a calm, wellbalanced mind and self-control. In the summer of 2026, a multi-million dollar membersonly bunker is due to be unveiled in Virginia, USA. Here, the world's wealthiest will be able to seek shelter from any potential apocalyptic event.
One article reports, "This underground doomsday bunker complex will act as a fortified sanctuary, setting the stage for a revolutionary new global network. For years, safe, strategically armored, and fortified environments has delivered outrageous innovations to private homes, including flaming lakes, biometrically activated shotgun walls, water cannons, and even a Formula 1 track. The new Airy project will offer a network of luxurious doomsday residential bunkers in 50 US cities with a planned 1,000 affiliate locations worldwide.
A lot of energy and resources are being put into preparing for some kind of doomsday event. The secular world puts a lot of trust into fortified bunkers and technology-led protective measures. The Atlantic reported stating that bunker companies won't disclose customers names, but Gary Lynch, Rising S's CEO, told me his clients include Hollywood actors and highly recognizable sports stars.
Other luxury shelters are marketed to business people from bankers to Bill Gates who's rumored to have bunkers beneath his houses in Washington State and California. While so many people want to preserve themselves so that they can enjoy their wealth, the Bible warns us of the judgment that is to come. And when you find out what the Bible says about this, you'll see that there is no hope of finding safety in man-made bunkers.
The only real safety can be found in Jesus Christ. Just pay attention to some of these Bible passages which should serve as a warning to those who are not in Christ. Revelation 6 verse 15-17.
Then everyone, the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive.
" Zephaniah 1:14 to18. That terrible day of the Lord is near. Swiftly it comes.
A day of bitter tears. A day when even strong men will cry out. It will be a day when the Lord's anger is poured out.
A day of terrible distress and anguish. A day of ruin and desolation. A day of darkness and gloom.
A day of clouds and blackness. A day of trumpet calls and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and the strongest battlements.
Because you have sinned against the Lord, I will make you grope around like the blind. Your blood will be poured into the dust, and your bodies will lie rotting on the ground. Your silver and gold will not save you on that day of the Lord's anger.
For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth. Take note how the Bible tells us that your silver and gold will not save you on that day of the Lord's anger.
This means bunkers won't be enough. All the food rations and medical preservation technology will not matter. It will simply be about whether you lived for Jesus or for sin.
So for those living for Jesus Christ, there's no fear in the heart and there is no reason to fear in the lives. Have you ever watched a lion stalking its prey? Two different perspectives.
Now the prey is on the ground, whether it's an antelope, a buffalo, or a zebra. From the pre's perspective, it's a sunny day. Life's good.
But the prey is blissfully unaware of the half-hidden lion watching its every step. But the lion, you see, he's thinking about food. He's crouched down.
Every muscle tight as a spring, creeping, creeping closer and closer, and then it pounces. The prey is caught. Our Christian life can be like that.
We're enjoying our righteous friendship with the Lord Jesus. The skies are blue, the sun's warm, and bang, a temptation jumps out of nowhere, and we go down. We do something we don't want to.
Sin wins again. What went wrong? Well, in a way, nothing went wrong because this is how people are.
We're in a fallen world, and we have to fight with the flesh daily. The Bible says we are to crucify our flesh. Not once in a while, not every now and again, but we are to crucify it daily.
We need to do this because even as believers, we will still from time to time be drawn to what's wrong. And the reason for this is because even though we are saved, our bodies are still just that, bodies. They will still be drawn to sin.
Paul writes about this in Romans chapters 6 and 7. In summary, he says, "There's a strange force in us. When we see a choice between right and wrong, this force leaps up.
An opportunity to sin comes along and we're pulled to do what's wrong. " Jesus' disciples knew this. Take Peter.
The night the Lord was arrested, Peter got disoriented. He hurried through Jerusalem's dark streets and ended up in a courtyard by a fire, warming himself. Then a girl challenged him.
Peter looked around the fire. He saw the priest's people and the soldiers. He felt an urge to do what was wrong.
And he did. He denied Jesus three times. Three times, Peter, how are you going to deny the Lord Jesus?
You were with him when he performed miracles. You were with him when he healed the sick. He walked on water and you saw him.
You woke him up and watched him speak to a storm. Peter, you saw the power of the son of God firsthand and you have the nerve to deny him three times. Now, if Peter could fall like that after having walked with Jesus, then what Paul says makes sense.
He said in the book of Romans, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. Now, as for Peter, a few weeks later, Jesus took Peter aside and asked him to feed my sheep.
Jesus helped Peter use that terrible failing as a way to grow, to be better, to tend the flock, to openly lead the movement. No more giving in to that temptation. And he didn't.
Years later, when Peter was offered the same option, he stood true. And for that, he was crucified upside down and killed. Jesus makes us clean.
He helps us face up to our sin and become more righteous. Voices around us, of course, encourage us to go in the opposite direction. We hear these voices on TV.
We click on them on the internet. They say, "You can have these things. Push Jesus to one side.
Reach out and take the comforts, the prestige, the easy times, the pleasures. Don't worry about the occasional sin. Make a few moral lapses.
Sin pays handsome wages. Do you hear this soft, confident invitation from the world? It's fake.
Proverbs 11:18 says, "A wicked man earns deceptive wages. It's the righteous man who earns a sure reward. Do you hear the offer to join in the glamour and the glory of the non-Christian life and lifestyle?
In the end, that's all it is. It's just an empty offer. It doesn't pay like it promises.
It's like taking a bite out of a beautiful wedding cake only to find it's made from raw sewage. In Isaiah 48:17, God says, "I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had listened to me, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
This is the glorious freedom of the righteous life. Enjoy it. The world's alternative is deceptive wages.
" Now I don't want to gloss over the fact that there are some sins which are strong temptations like greed, like lust. They are strong temptations because they are inside us. And the deception is we can indulge these sins and never be seen.
That's the deception. The devil makes you think that you can get away with these secret sins. But I love the book of Romans because it helps us with this issue, this war of the spirit and flesh.
And from reading the book of Romans, you will understand that you can't deal with temptation by giving into it. That's not as strange as it sounds. Because when we face temptation, we find ourselves thinking, "Look, God pardoned me at the cross, so he'll forgive the sin I'm thinking about right now.
So why not go ahead and sin? I'll feel good and I'll also be right with God. Well, it's not possible to have your cake and eat it too.
Deliberate sin like this is a fleeting pleasure. We're left with shame and remorse. It stunts our Christian life and witness.
A fog seeps into our life and contaminates us. And secondly, we can't deal with temptation by trying to change our behavior on our own. By dealing with temptation through our own strength, by using life skills, by forcing ourselves to behave, by doing this, there's only one outcome.
We'll fail. Or if we find some success ourselves, we'll end up self-righteous, sneering at weaker Christians, thinking highly of ourselves, and looking prim and proper. But Paul tells us to face temptation with the truth.
The truth is that the Lord Jesus Christ defeated sin at the cross and he stands alongside us. He stands alongside us so that we can walk away from a temptation in his company, in his strength, with his encouragement. There is a way out.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. " Paul told Titus in chapter 2:1, "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. " Here, the Bible teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.
It teaches us. Peter learned this. He was taught once and didn't fall to the same temptation again.
However, let's face it, some temptation comes straight out of the gates of hell. And what do we do then? Remember that lion stalking the prey?
Satan's like that. He's a lion prowling among believers, thinking about his next kill. Almost invisible, focused on destroying, silent, with every muscle twitching and ready to fire.
Factor him in. Beware, but don't be fearful. Peter says in his first letter in chapter 5:9, "Resist him.
Stand firm. " Psalm 89:15 has a wonderful promise. It says, "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence.
May we all discover the joy and power of resisting temptation and enjoying the godly life. " So be strong, man of God. Be strong, woman of God.
I encourage you to lean on the Lord. The original purpose of pawn shops was to create a way for those in financial need to get extra help. Back in the day, you could go to a pawn shop and trade in an item you owned for money.
You would then use that money to help yourself get out of your dire financial situation. Once you were back on your feet, you could go to the pawn shop and buy back your item for the exact amount of money you received for it. Today, pawn shops are much different.
When trading in your item, you get very little money compared to the object's value. If you want to buy the item back, you will pay much more than you receive for the item. The original intention of the pawn shop has shifted dramatically since its creation.
There's been a drift in the hearts of people from seeking to help others to seeking to make a profit. The truth is that all of our hearts are prone to drift. We can drift from a life of loving God to a life of sin.
That's why the author of Proverbs shows us how to prevent this drift. He points out four ways to avoid drifting in our own lives. They involve the heart, mouth, eyes, and feet.
Proverbs 4 23-27 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity. Keep corrupt talk from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
Do not turn to the right or the left. Keep your foot from evil. It is key that he starts by talking about the heart.
Think about our physical hearts. If we have a bad heart, then the rest of our body is in jeopardy. If the heart quits working, then everything else quits working.
You cannot have a dead heart and a healthy ear. The same is true with our spiritual hearts. If the heart is good, then what flows out is good.
However, if the heart is bad, what flows out of our heart will be bad. Guarding your heart can be challenging because the heart is attacked from so many different angles. This world and its pleasures are after your heart.
Satan is after your heart. And our own sinful flesh wants to attack and fill our hearts with sin. When we're having a hard day or going through tough times, it can be easy for our hearts to drift away.
The next area that we need to be careful of is our mouths. We are to put away our crooked speech. Let's think about the physical world again.
Our mouth actually reveals what is going on in our hearts. If there's something wrong with our hearts, we will use our mouths to express that pain. The same is true on the spiritual level.
The words and actions that flow from our mouths reveal where our heart is actually at. We may look spiritual from the outside. However, our words will reveal our spirituality.
Putting away crooked speech does not simply mean not cussing. Putting away crooked speech means putting away all talk that dishonors God. If we're not careful, our mouths will drift into gossiping about others, using our words to put down others, and talking pridefully about ourselves.
The author in the book of Proverbs also talks about the eyes. We are to keep our spiritual eyes directly forward. Think about your physical eyes.
If you're driving and you don't keep your eyes directly forward, you can get in some real trouble. Some of the worst crashes are because our eyes are focused on something else such as a phone or somebody in the back seat. Our spiritual eyes do the same thing.
When we turn our eyes away from the Lord, we are prone to stumble. Now, the final area mentioned in our passage of scripture is all to do with your feet. When we focus on keeping our feet on the path, we move in the right direction.
If you're going for a walk on a trail and you decide to get off the trail, you're much more likely to get lost. However, if you focus on keeping your feet on the trail, the path for you is laid out. Yet again, the same is true spiritually.
If you follow the moral path God has laid out for you, you will not stumble. However, as you seek your own path, it becomes so much easier to stumble. With our heart, mouth, eyes and feet guiding us.
How do we prevent the natural drift that our soul wants to take? It all comes down to our focus. We must focus our whole being on Jesus Christ.
Our heart, mouth, eyes, and feet must be all set to follow Jesus Christ. In the book of Philippians, Paul talks about running the race of life. He runs by focusing on Jesus.
That may sound a little unpractical. However, he gives us a practical example of what it means to focus on Jesus. He says in Philippians 3:17, "Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
" According to Paul, we prevent the natural drift of our physical and spiritual bodies from sinning by looking at and imitating those who follow Jesus around us. Who are you looking to for an example of someone who follows Jesus? Of course, we should look to God's word to see examples of what it looks like to follow Jesus.
We will see the life of Jesus and his followers and emulate that. However, it shouldn't stop there. We should find other believers that follow Jesus and learn from them.
Your body will naturally drift into sin. Proverbs tells us that our heart will not want to stay vigilant. Our mouth will want to use crooked speech.
Our eyes will want to look to the side and our feet will want to get off the path. While our physical and spiritual body wants to lead us astray, we must take time daily to focus on Jesus. When we do this, our hearts will be changed by the grace of our Lord Jesus.
