the cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University has just released a new study that indicates that millions of Christians are unlikely to vote the Research indicates that as many as 104 million people of Faith are unlikely to vote in this upcoming election and among those 32 million self-identified Christians who regularly attend church won't cast their ballots the surveys also revealed that large numbers of Christian churches have distanced themselves from the election refusing to even encourage congregants to vote and avoiding teaching related to many of the key social issues that will determine which candidates people will
support One Pastor by the name of Johnny aravanis recently had the Christian Community talking and here are some of the comments he made that I found to be powerful I want you to also understand that there are no perfect candidates in this election they're both broken people I think this is important for every believer to know we only have one Savior and his name is Jesus Christ it's not anyone in the white house or anyone in any Pulpit but it's in the one and only son of God there are certain people that are going to
amen the political thing but I also want the amens just to be as loud as when I say this our hope is not in a political party uh who is in the White House is far less important than who is on the throne in heaven the Bible encourages to fix our minds on Jesus to put our hope in the Lord there's no greater change that can come about than the change which comes from the word of God there's no greater change that can come about than the change that Jesus Christ can bring so for the
majority of people in America there's a fear that the next few months will be a Tipping Point but you should not be fearful some of the questions people are asking are how will the financial markets react how will this policy affect me and my children what will the Fallout be should I be preparing for the worst a doomsday likee scenario or should I start preparing for potential civil unrest for many Americans this election is proving to be one of the most significant elections in their lifetimes and so I would like to offer a Biblical perspective
on some of the major developments happening around us why is it important to put on biblical lens when looking at current world affairs because for so many people their minds will be filled with the opinions of different political commentators others will be influenced by all the many theories and conspiracies out there and then the third group of people it's those who will just bury their heads in the sand because they're fearful of what might happen in the future but firstly let me say that it seems as though every other day we're seeing huge events happening
on the world stage and with many people's eyes on the political Arena we should all be aware that in times like these the devil loves to divide and seow disharmony and hatred among people be careful that you are not drawn to this kind of divided political frenzy as children of God the Bible calls us to love to love like Christ and to love our neighbor regardless of their political affiliations and I understand that many of us will have genuine concerns like who can bring peace and stability well only Jesus can some may ask what is
the trajectory of the country and the answer is only God knows and as children of God we should live our lives with our trust firmly placed on God now should there be more twists and turns over the next few months should there be unrest or economic uncertainty should there be more and more voices added to the conversation about America as a nation and what direction it's heading in remember that our Lord and savior is bigger than any politician any government official or any worldly institution yes this election will have far-reaching consequences that could impact our
and other people's lives however the follower of Christ should remember that the kingdoms of men come and go but the kingdom of Christ is eternal men and women sit in various seats of power in this world but there is one who sits on the throne above all Thrones Psalm 22:28 says for kingship Belongs to the Lord and He rules over the Nations God is ultimately in control he is in control today I want to encourage you to trust in The God Who does know trust in the almighty because what is unknown to us is known
to him what is uncertain to us is already certain to him meaning he knows all he orchestrates it all he's planned it all so that everything will work out for your good in the end Psalm 91:14 to13 says because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name he shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him in 1993 John MacArthur preached a sermon titled What's wrong with
America a question that would be fitting even today in the sermon he focused on Romans 1 where three times we're told the phrase God gave them over if you look at this passage the Bible hammers home this phrase three times saying in verse 24 therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another then in verse 26 because of this God gave them over to shameful lusts then in verse 28 so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they
do what ought not to be done he then said something powerful in his sermon and I quote there comes a point in God's dealing with men and Nations groups of people when he abandons them and the consequence of that abandonment is that they will eat the fruit of their own choices if I were to simply answer the question what's wrong with America I would say God has abandoned America and America is now feeding on its own choices chosen to sin they have chosen to turn their back on God they have chosen to reject the gospel
they have chosen to reject a Biblical morality they have chosen to disobey the clear commandment of God they have and God says let them alone end quote now when you look at society today today are people given over to the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity are people given over to shameful lusts are people in society in general living with a depraved mind where they do what ought not to be done are we soon to be judged by the god of Heaven have people strayed so far from the gospel so far from truth
that God's judgment is imminent the Amplified translation of 1 Timothy 4:1 says but the Holy Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons the Bible also says in Matthew 24: 10-13 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 look at the three things here that the Bible prophesies will happen in later times some will turn away from the faith people will betray and hate each other the love of most will grow cold all of these aspects are heart issues love will grow cold that is a heart issue people will betray and hate each other that is a heart issue some will turn away from the faith that is a heart issue so from all of this we can conclude that in the last days there will be an increase in the
hardening of the hearts for many many people one thing that I do not want in my life is a hardened heart a heart that is insensitive to God's word a heart that doesn't care about the gospel or care to be obedient to God's word pray for the grace to keep your heart with all diligence therefore keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come this call to vigilance and watchfulness is as relevant for us today as it was for the disciples when Jesus spoke these words just as a Vigilant Watchman
remains attentive to potential threats we must stay alert and watchful for the signs of Christ's imminent return the fascinating thing thing about a Watchman is that a Watchman has many different roles which are all just as vitally important in the olden days a Watchman was responsible for protecting towns and Army Camps from Surprise enemy attacks as well as any other potential dangers Watchmen on the walls would look out for approaching Messengers danger armies or envoys in 2 Samuel 18 we're told that David was sitting between the two gates and the Watchmen went up to to
the roof over the gate to the wall lifted his eyes and looked and there was a man running alone then the Watchman cried out and told the king and the King said if he is alone there is news in his mouth and he the messenger came rapidly and Drew near it's a watchman's job to always be on the lookout to peer into the distance to observe to await and certainly to be alert the Watchman stands as a Sentinel guarding against any dangers and in our own spiritual lives every Christian has this role of acting as
a Watchman we are to observe evaluate and examine Our Lives against the word of God we are to guard the gates of our eyes ears and heart from the threat of sin the threat of evil and the threat of the devil we are to be Watchmen over our heart's desires and affections now as children of God who live live in a period of time where there is great uncertainty one thing we have to guard against is the spirit of fear people out there are fearful of so many things the threat of emerging pandemics for some
there is uncertainty when it comes to the current state of international Affairs the Bible warns us of wars and rumors of wars and when we finally see Bible prophecy unfolding right before our eyes it can leave us seeking Clarity and you can end up asking question questions like how will this affect the country I live in how will this affect the world and so there is uncertainty there for someone else the fight they face is economic uncertainty either personal finances or The Wider economy of their country for other people in certain parts of the world
Christians who face persecution for their faith in Christ there may be some uncertainty as they think how long can I Endure this or how much more should I Endure Lord and I personally believe that in these last days in these days where we see Bible prophecy unfolding before our eyes I believe the Bible gives us five commands that will help us all in these times the first of these five commands is to keep watch because Christ is coming soon Matthew 24:42 the Bible says therefore keep watch because you do not know on what day your
Lord will come when you are living in uncertain times when you are living in fearful times in times where biblical prophecy is happening and we are seeing an increase in the number of conflicts all around the world we are seeing pestilences we're seeing the love of many growing cold when you are living in such times it's important to keep watch for you don't know what day your lord is coming we may not have the answers to everything there may not be a detailed road map telling you you what to do and how to do it
whenever you see troubling things happening but all in all we must remember that ultimately our focus should be in one place and that is on Jesus Christ if you focus on the world you will be worried you will be burdened and anxious but when you focus on Jesus you will see the trouble in the world but you will not be troubled in your heart the second command is to watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation Matthew 26:41 says Watch and Pray so that you will not fall into temptation the spirit is
willing but the flesh is weak we are encouraged to watch and pray so that we won't give into temptation and a lot of times people associate temptation to only be of a sexual nature however people can be tempted by sin in various ways some are tempted to lie and steal all for their personal and selfish gain some are tempted to get drunk others are tempted to gossip but most of all watch out against being tempted to follow a gospel that tickles your ears in the last days there will be deception and this deception will be
tempting to many because you will be told a gospel that simply makes you feel good instead of leading you to repentance be careful not to be tempted the third command is to watch and pray pray so that you can escape Luke 21:36 says watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the son of man when Jesus said this to his disciples he was talking about the future and he was warning them of the terrible things to come on the
earth as we Edge closer to the End of the Age those who will be counted worthy to escape God's Wrath on this Earth are those who have put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ but you can only do this if you watch and pray always in other words Jesus is telling us to be focused on him the fourth command to Believers in this day and age is to be Earnest and disciplined in your prayers the Bible in 1 Peter 4 verse 7 says the end of all things is near therefore be alert and of
sober mind so that you may pray in this context sober means serious in other words as Believers we should be careful about how we live our choices impact our ability to think clearly it is better to be self-controlled so that we can pray earnestly I believe here that Peter is also speaking to those who suffer for Jesus's sake the Believers who are persecuted and Peter gives us a word of warning that is also encage encouraging as he says it's almost over the end of all things is near and don't we see that today more so
than ever the fifth and final command to Believers is to be clear in your mission 2 Timothy 4:5 gives us great advice when it comes to dealing with all that we hear and see in the world today the Bible says but you should keep a clear mind in every situation don't be afraid of suff uffing for the Lord work at telling others the good news and fully carry out the ministry God has given you the world has many different voices some Godly some ungodly and these voices will tell you so many different things things that
will confuse you things that will leave you perplexed things that will pollute your mind and all of this leads you to live in a fearful state but God's word is calling us to have a clear mind in every situ a and I believe that you can achieve this by doing one thing focusing on Christ and doing everything for his glory as more and more people ask questions like are we living in the last days is this the end I want to encourage you to do something rather than look at each and every event that is
currently happening in the world my message to you is that you should make sure that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ yes it's good for us to take note of the events happening in this world but the focus for our lives should be to make sure that our individual relationships with God are in good standing whether these are the last days or not whether this is the 11th hour or not you and I as Believers need to make sure that our focus is only on Jesus Christ we should focus on the one who
is the way the truth and the life and that is Jesus Christ who explicitly said no no one comes to the father except through me
