Are you a complainer?

The underlying reason for being labeled a complainer is that a person doesn’t get his or her own way in matters with others. Unfortunately, this approach turns into an attitude that spreads throughout one’s personality and actions.

Israel stands out as a stark example of complaining—against their leaders and even against God! As a nation, the children of Israel allowed their complaining to become infectious, and the consequences were devastating:

“But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:5-10).

It is easy to grumble, to become accusatory and critical, but this approach leads to bitterness. Being a complainer darkens the light which should show in our lives.

Christians have been given this challenge:

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…” (Philippians 2:14-16).

Can we stop the complaining, please?

Anxiety is a peculiar thing. On the one hand, it is something that seems to be merely a state of mind as we cope with the difficulties managing stress and pressure that exist in our lives. On the other hand, it is a real phenomenon that elicits physical symptoms, making it much more than something that is “just in our heads.” For some people, anxiety can be crippling and prevent them from living their lives in a normal way. No matter the level of anxiety that one might experience, whether light or overbearing, I think it is safe to say that most would rather live without it!

What stands opposed to the heavy weight of anxiety is a lightness of being. This describes a state of mind that places the stressful burdens of our life into a perspective that limits the effect of unwarranted fear. Lightness of being describes the way that we react to pressure, by not taking consequence more seriously than we ought. This state of mind allows us to gain control over the circumstances of life, rather than allow circumstances to take control of us. With such a state of mind, we can find joy in the most trying of events.

The Bible has much to say about developing this state of mind. Philippians 4:6-7 summarizes this very succinctly, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Not only do we see the instruction to put anxiety in its place, we also learn about how to do it. We can achieve a peace of mind by placing our worries into the hands of God, through prayer, and by being thankful for all He does for us. Once we do this, the result is true relief from all kinds of stress and pressure. Obtaining the peace of God is a powerful thing when we manage to do it.

What strikes me the most about how this process works is the involvement of thankfulness. To offer thanksgiving for all things, especially the challenges that we might face, can be a difficult thing to do. However, when we know that God works in our lives, we also know that even the challenges we face are an opportunity for us to develop and grow. By offering thanks for everything and in our circumstances, we no longer have to worry about them, but we give them over to God so that He can help us out. The struggle to control the difficult circumstances in our lives, all by ourselves, is a significant contributor to the phenomena of anxiety. But when we cease worrying about those difficulties, and offer thanks to God instead, there is no more anxiety. What a relief!

With anxiety fading away and with fear returning to its proper place, contentment is an additional result. This all happens by inviting the peace of God into our lives to guard our minds and hearts through Jesus Christ. We are also reminded, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:6-7). By reacting to the events we face in life with godliness, and being content about the outcome, what exactly do we gain? While it might not be anything physical that we can take with us when we die, the gain we obtain is a far greater gift than anything we might anxiously struggle for in this world. When we completely submit our lives to God, the gift we obtain is eternal life. God has given us an opportunity to place our burdens into His hands, and when we do that, we are relieved both in this life and in the eternal life to come. With God on our side, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

Recently, more and more voices have been heard advocating the “need” for waging war in diverse places, even if this would lead to the death of innocent civilians. The argument has been advanced that true Christians are allowed, if not compelled, to participate in “righteous” wars. One “supporting” concept is that God does not view killing in war as murder. Those who believe this idea refer to the fact that in Exodus 20:13 (“You shall not kill”), the Hebrew word “ratsach” is used for “kill,” and they say that it only means “murder” and that killing in war is not murder and therefore allowed.

That conclusion is false. The Hebrew word “ratsach” can even refer to ACCIDENTAL killing. In Numbers 35:25, the person who kills accidentally is referred to as a “manslayer” (“ratsach”). He was not worthy of death, but he had to flee to a city of refuge to stay there until the high priest died. So, accidental killing (including of innocent civilians in war, so-called casualties) is prohibited and sinful in the eyes of God.

Apart from the fact that many translations (such as the Authorized Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New American Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible, as well as virtually ALL German Bibles) render Exodus 20:13 as, “You shall not kill” (not: “You shall not murder”), the argument that the Ten Commandments exclude killing in war is also faulty for the following reason:

Those who advocate fighting in war allege that whenever killing in war is described in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is “harag,” and they say that this word does NOT describe murder. But the truth is that the word “harag” IS very clearly used for “murder”:

Psalm 10:8 speaks of a person who “murders” (“harag”) the innocent in secret. Hosea 9:13 states that Ephraim will bring out his children to the “murderer” (“harag”). Jeremiah 4:31 says that Jeremiah’s soul is weary because of “murderers” (“harag”). Genesis 4:8 explains that Cain killed (“harag”) his brother Abel, and 1 John 3:12 clearly shows that Cain “murdered” Abel.

That fighting in war is clearly sinful and murder in the eyes of God can be seen in James 4:1-2: “Where do wars and fights come from among you… You MURDER and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.” The Greek word for “war” is “polemeo,” and it is used in Revelation 17:14, referring to people who make war with the Lamb.

So, fighting and killing in war is prohibited by the Sixth Commandment. It is sinful and constitutes murder. This means that a true Christian must refuse participating in war. It also means that he or she must refuse voting for someone who advocates and engages in war. Every American President is also Commander in Chief. For this reason alone, an American Christian CANNOT and MUST NOT vote in presidential elections.

We know that many might see it differently. Some might even allege that they are still following the fundamental teachings of the late human leader of the Worldwide Church of God, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, who died on January 16, 1986. American Christians may say that all their fellow citizens and brethren MUST vote in America’s upcoming presidential election, and if need be, even fulfill their “patriotic duties” by joining the military and fighting against their country’s enemies.

Well, that kind of thinking would clearly be in DIRECT opposition to one of the most CRITICAL and FOUNDATIONAL areas of CHURCH DOCTRINE.

Here is what Mr. Armstrong taught about voting in governmental elections. In an article, titled, “How Would Jesus Vote for President?”, which was published in the “Good News” of October/November 1984, Herbert Armstrong summarized the Church’s stance AGAINST voting in governmental elections, as follows:

“The true Christian is one who follows Christ, and Christ did not vote! … What, then, would Jesus do in [a time of] presidential election?… HE WOULD BE TOO BUSY PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE COMING WORLD-RULING KINGDOM, and the way of salvation, to take ANY PART WHATSOEVER in the politics of this present evil world, or in any man-made form of government that is DOOMED very soon to be destroyed and replaced by the theocratic government of the KINGDOM OF GOD!”

Likewise, when thundering AGAINST “Christian” warfare, he stated in his booklet, “Military Service and War,” copyright 1967 and 1985:

“Military service, bearing arms (for use against humans), killing, war, is directly contrary to God’s Law in principle! It is not the WAY of giving, sharing, helping, serving (page 11)… It was altogether unnecessary for these Israelites to arm themselves and wage war. It was WRONG! It was SIN (page 23)… Actually, reliance on military arms, physical force, and human allies, is SIN. It breaks God’s Commandment, ‘Thou SHALT NOT KILL!’ The fact that ALL nations have chosen the way of SIN does not make it RIGHT! And the individual Christian, today, having God’s Spirit, and in God’s CHURCH, must face this question and decide for himself whether he will go along THE WAY OF SIN, as the overwhelming majority are doing, or whether he will OBEY God, and then TRUST GOD with his life—TRUST GOD alone!” (pages 24-25).

These are clear words, and they are as relevant today as they were when they were written. The Bible shows that in these end times, sin and lawlessness will abound, and as a consequence, the love of many in the Church of God will grow cold. They will fall away from the truth. They will hate and persecute those who uphold the truth. They will turn from God’s Spirit of love to a spirit of hatred, fighting and war. They will forsake God’s Way of Love and become again part of this rotten world of Satanic deception which they might try to “improve,” by voting in governmental elections and taking part in the politics of “their” country.

All of us have a choice, and in the months to come, the need for making the right choice will become more and more pressing. Will we obey God or man? Will we seek the honor of God or of men? When we love the world and the things which are in this world, then the love of the Father is NOT in us (1 John 2:15-17).

As 2015 comes to a close, we look back at how much destruction, pain and misery have taken place.  From natural disasters to terrorism, this world we are living in is getting more and more destructive, and we know that we are getting closer and closer to Christ’s Return.  We find ourselves becoming much more aware of what is going on and how these events are aligning with what the Bible is prophesying.  Based on the numerous requests for literature and questions we are receiving about what has been going on this past year and what the future holds, it is starting to become more evident that some people are “waking up” to the truth and what we have been preaching about for several years, in light of biblical prophecy.  Our messages and programs are drawing increasing attention and it begs the question, “How much longer do we really have left?”

We are living in a godless society and the accessibility to weapons and violent activities of terrorists are unstoppable; that is, until Christ returns to put an END to all this violence.  That is the only way.  There will be no peace until He returns.  Man’s futile efforts to bring about peace through his wars is IMPOSSIBLE.  God is the One Who does the fighting for us (Exodus 14:14; Hosea 1:7).  He is the One Who makes wars cease (Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 9:6-7).  And God will destroy all the weapons here on earth (Hosea 2:18; Isaiah 2:4; Ezekiel 39:9).

The times we are living in will get worse.  By comparison, we haven’t seen anything yet.  The events we have already witnessed this past year will occur with more and more frequency and with powerful devastation.  The Bible tells us that when this happens, we KNOW that the time of Christ’s Return is near (Luke 21:25-28). As mentioned, some are beginning to realize that what the Bible has been stating since the beginning is in fact true, especially as the events prophesied are taking shape (compare Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 6:12-17).

What about us in the Church?  What have we experienced this year?  We have all endured trials but we, as a whole, have certainly stayed strong. We have come together to pray for one another, to pray for the success of the Church and to continue steadfast with doing the Work by preaching the true gospel of God’s Kingdom to the nations.  What we are doing now is related to the potential for ALL mankind in the future.  Some will listen and respond now.  The hurt, the pain, the sorrow and death which this nation and the entire world have experienced this year will unfortunately continue to happen next year, and will continue until Christ returns.  We know this! We know what to expect.  Should we be surprised?  It’s exactly what the Bible tells us; exactly what is prophesied; exactly what we are trying to convey to the world—to warn everyone and to simply point out what is to come.  Those of us who understand the Bible and know what it says, know how to escape all these things – by doing His Will, keeping His Law, and watching.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that no trial that comes upon us will be too difficult to bear and that God will show us the way of escape.  God has the confidence that we will overcome and there should be no reason then for us to doubt Him.  By putting it all in God’s hands, we can be assured that He will take care of us.  We need to remember this as we continue on, as we move forward and look forward to a time when there will be “no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).  In the meantime, we need to continue with doing the Work, while staying vigilant and preparing for what 2016 will bring.

There is a theory that was promoted in the early 1960s, called the “Expectancy Theory.” In short, it is about the mental process around choice or choosing. It helps to explain the processes that an individual goes through in order to make choices. It also supposes that individuals will behave in a certain way, because they are motivated to choose a specific behavior over another, due to what they expect the result of their selected behavior to be. To put it another way, their actions are guided by what they hold to be true and by their expectation that the outcome(s) of their choice(s) will directly have impacts on them. They become motivated by their choices and the outcomes of those choices.

While this is a theory, in part it should hold true for us in our Christian lives. Look at Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-21. He held that people who had been called would be rooted in the truth and experience true Godly love in their lives. They could expect these things because they made choices that were motivated by God’s promises.

Look at the trial of Stephen in Acts 7. He gave example after example of the fathers of old who had this same expectancy of God, doing exactly as He had promised them. And yet, the religious leaders of that time were not making the correct choices. In fact, Stephen calls them out on the carpet in verses 51-53: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

In Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, we have the parable of the sower. And we read that while people have choices, often times they make the wrong ones because they have not fully invested in and truly caught the true picture. Yet, we also read of those who do get it. Their labor is great and their harvest is also great. Those are the choices that we should be making every day. So many times we are warned, exhorted and encouraged by the apostle Paul to be steadfast in the way that we have chosen to live (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:6-26). Note how Paul encourages the entire church in this regard. It’s not a one man effort. Yes, each is responsible for their own actions (and thereby the outcome), but as Paul is pointing out, there is a dire need for each person to be strengthening each other as well as praying for each other.

As we are growing in Christ’s grace and knowledge, we should become more and more motivated and captivated that this is the right Way of Life. There should be no doubt in our minds as to whether or not this is the true Way. In so doing, our actions and hearts will be motivated, as we read in 1 John 3:18-24. This has to be our motivation and truly what we should strive to do.

The Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009, is designed to search for planets orbiting stars. The program’s mission statement is to “survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover dozens of Earth-size planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets.” To date, over 1000 planets have been discovered, orbiting distant stars.

Many use these findings to answer the question: “Are we alone?” Scientific thought posits that we cannot be alone, simply because of the unfathomable amount of space and matter present. Stephen Hawking, a man considered one of the great scholars of our age, stated, “The idea that we are alone in the universe seems to me completely implausible and arrogant, considering the number of planets and stars that we know exist, it’s extremely unlikely that we are the only form of evolved life.” Mr. Hawking, like many others, are correct in the assumption that we are not alone, but the basis for reaching this conclusion is utterly misguided. God reveals to those who can hear Him the existence of a spiritual realm, and our role in preparing and qualifying to be part of a spiritual Kingdom.

Man, without God, looks to the heavens and sees limitless space with no meaning. Man can only impose his own will based upon misconstrued theories and ideals. With God guiding our thoughts, we see much more. David looked up into the night and knew: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). He saw what only God could open his mind to see.

The growing knowledge of the physical universe we have today is beyond what any before us could have imagined or seen. While many grasp for meaning in the limitless space surrounding this small planet called Earth, they do so without Godly direction and miss what is so obvious to God’s people. “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory” (Psalm 97:6).

Fulfilling our part in preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God must be done with true compassion and deep concern for those who are hearing the message God has ordained. While the focus is on future events, when God’s Kingdom will govern the entire world, the knowledge we are imparting has impact for people right now!

Of God, it is said that He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4); and, that He “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

When God calls someone to repentance, He is giving that person the opportunity to receive eternal life. Along with that calling, and following repentance and baptism, comes a brand new way of living through the power of God—His own Holy Spirit.

All of this astounding opportunity for us rests in the fact that God cares for mankind—He loves us! The measure of His compassion is ultimate and without parallel:

“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’” (John 3:16).

And:

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [atoning sacrifice] for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

If we accept this truth of how much God cares, then we are bound to express the same kind of care as we complete the Work of God given to us:

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).

You have to wonder what in the world is going on, when considering recent attacks by terrorists, which include the bombing of a Russian commercial airplane with 224 passengers aboard who all died; the Beirut individual bombing which killed 43; the Paris terrorist attack with a death toll of 130 innocent non-combatant civilians; and the terrorist attack in Mali, Africa, which killed 20 people.

I remember the Ambassador College choir song,  “It Won’t Be Long Now,” and I ask myself how long this madness can go on. It’s like Satan is on a rampage, influencing these senseless murders which are a reflection of his mind, since Christ referred to him as a murderer from the beginning. It should be no surprise to us to see what’s happening now, since Satan attempted an overthrow of his Creator in the distant past, and the Bible tells us he will try again in the end time:

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Satan knows that his time is short (verse 12), and he has become very active. We do not set dates for the return of Christ, yet looking at what’s happening with increased frequency, callousness and heartless attacks on innocent victims, this has to be alarming, and we may be closer to the Great Tribulation than many think.

Current conditions should help us to follow Christ’s admonition and put more impetus on us to pray fervently that God’s Kingdom may come, since it is the only solution to the madness of this current world under the sway of Satan and his merciless, indecent and demented demons.

The sooner we complete our job of preaching the gospel in all the world, the sooner this evil age will end. Now is not the time to slack off, but we should rather stay committed to our commission and responsibility, while staying close to God, because things are only going to get worse, before God’s Kingdom will be established on earth.

We can sigh and cry in the meantime and wonder just “how long” will this go on before we see a world of violence, senseless killing and mayhem under Satan’s influence come to an abrupt end. We long for the time when the world tomorrow, the Millennium, will be ushered in—when all will truly enjoy peace and prosperity. Surely, “it won’t be long now.”

When Jesus was being judged by Pilate, the question of truth was raised.  Wikipedia has this definition: “Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal.”

In our booklet “The Authority of the Bible,” on pages 4 and 5, we read the following:

“THE BIBLE PROVES ITSELF! Human interpretation is not the final authority when it comes to the Word of God! But that is exactly how those who selectively pick and choose what they want to believe, view the Bible. It is also the position taken by so many who simply reject the Bible.

“… how can we know what is true and what is false?

“Jesus Christ made an utterly profound statement in answer to Pilate’s questioning: ‘Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice”’ (John 18:37). Jesus Christ Himself bore witness of the Word of God, and that included the Holy Scriptures—the Old Testament at that time. The prophecies of His birth, death and resurrection proved to be true!…

“Truth—as opposed to falsehood and deception—was the focus of what Jesus taught. He made this statement to the Jews of His day, many of whom were the religious leaders of the nation: ‘And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32).”

In John 17:17 we read that Jesus prayed and asked the Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.”   And so, we know that the Word of God, the Bible which is the Christian’s manual for life, contains all the truth that we need to know at this time.

Jesus also said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The Expositor’s Greek Testament observes that Christ was conveying the following thoughts:

“I do not merely point out the way and teach the truth and bestow life, but I am the way and the truth and the life, so that by attachment to me one necessarily is in the way and possesses the truth and the life.”

The commentary continues:

“‘The way’ here referred to is the way to the Father. He is the goal of all human aspiration: and there is but one way to the Father… [the ‘truth’ is] primarily about God and the way to Him, but also as furnishing us with all knowledge which we now require for life.”

And so, having very briefly established that everyone who is of the truth hears Jesus’ voice; that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life”; and that God’s Word (the Bible) is truth, let me ask the question: “Are we acquiring new truth or new understanding?”

We can read through Church history that the true Church of God survived through each century, but it had sometimes lost a lot of knowledge and understanding.   When Mr Herbert W Armstrong was called in the late 1920’s, the fruits showed that God used him to restore many doctrines that the early New Testament Church had kept, but which the Church of God down through the centuries had lost. But it is clear to see that this was not new truth, but new or better understanding.

Winston Churchill once said: “TRUTH is incontrovertible.  Panic may resent it; ignorance may deride it; malice may distort it; but THERE IT IS!” Over the years many have mentioned “new truth,” but the truth has always been there.  It was the understanding of the truth—and the love for the truth–that was lost. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 we read a warning:  “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

We not only have to have the truth in the first place, but we also have to have – and retain – the love of that truth.

Let us return to the original question, “New Truth or New Understanding?” The answer should be clear by now; the truth has been there all the time, but it is new or better understanding that all need to embrace who accept their calling from God.

My greatest concern in life is that I might become weak and fail God. Quite simply, living as a Christian in this world is a challenge now, even though it is relatively easy for me to abide by my convictions without persecution. Today, I can observe the Sabbath and keep God’s commandments without much worldly consequence. This makes it easy to uphold my beliefs and express the Truth openly. Ironically, the ease of living as a Christian now is what makes me uncomfortable. If it is challenging to live in a way that is consistent with my Christian beliefs now, without fear of persecution, when times are “easy,” how will I handle things when persecution comes? I know that the difficulties that I face in the world are nothing now compared to what they will be in the future. We are clearly told that we can expect to be persecuted. It is a certainty that this will happen (compare Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:9; John 15:18), and even more so, as the end of this age approaches. Will I have the strength of will to stand up for the Truth when I face serious consequences for doing so?

The answer to the question of whether I will stand up for the Truth is that I will try with my whole heart to do so. I have no doubt about the importance of upholding the Truth – none whatsoever. My concern does not stem from any wavering in my beliefs. Where it comes from is the knowledge that the flesh is weak. And while I am alive, it is my job to overcome that weakness. Recall what Paul wrote in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” It is my weakness inherent within me, which I work to overcome day by day, that is the source of my concern about failing God.

Fortunately, our concern about failure becomes cast out by perfect love (compare 1 John 4:18) and godly fear—fear in the right manner. Godly fear proves our reverence for God and His righteousness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10). When we really begin to comprehend the importance and magnitude of what the Bible teaches, we realize the serious consequences of neglecting to be obedient. In fact, the ultimate death awaits. But, knowing that it is possible to live eternally as part of God’s great Family, and knowing that it is within our means to obtain it, is very empowering. The concern of failing God should motivate us to action! It is the possibility of falling prey to sin that helps us to understand the importance of being obedient.

Once we begin to commit our lives to obedience to God, we have a way available to us to aid in our weakness. Paul, in acknowledging the weakness of his flesh, asks the rhetorical question, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Well, the answer to that question is that we have Jesus Christ to save us. Paul also writes that he did not have his “… own righteousness… but that which is through faith [of] Christ, the righteousness which is from God, by faith” (Philippians 3:9). The righteousness of Christ works within us too. When we become baptized, we not only seal our commitment to a life of obedience to God’s commandments, but we also receive the Holy Spirit as a Helper – to aid in our weakness. This is truly exciting! Any concern that our weakness might overtake our will to obey God is trumped by the strength of Jesus Christ who lives and works within us. While our flesh might be weak, we can do anything with the strength of Jesus Christ working within us (Philippians 4:13). And we know that God will carry to completion the good work that He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6), as long as we don’t give up.

The consequences for failing God are dire, making all worldly consequences for upholding the Truth pale by comparison. For certainly, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). And Satan, who has this world under his influence, is doing everything in his power to cause us to turn away from God. We must realize that we will face more and more obstacles that get in the way of righteousness as the end of this age approaches. Times will become much more difficult. For this reason, we absolutely must become stronger in our faith and stronger in our convictions to uphold the truth.