But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Bible scholars studying the “End Times” say we are in them. Of course, people have been saying that for years. That only means we are even closer to the day of Christ’s return. As that day approaches, we will see many “End Times’ scriptures come to life. The scripture 2 Timothy 3:1-5 plays out before us daily in the news and social media; we experience it and are hurt by it. When this happens, our souls can weaken, and our hearts can harden. How can we prepare ourselves for the time to come? We focus on God, embrace and live His goodness and His grace, and limit our exposure to the people described in that verse. We can be friendly and minister to them, but they can’t influence our lives, not even through the screens.
What Do We Do?
The good news is that we have a good God, and even preparing us for the future is good. Practically speaking, when we want to do anything well, what do we do? We practice. A basketball player and even a soldier do drills. They practice the skills they need to face whatever challenges they will face. We can do the same thing and get accustomed to bringing even the small things to Him. We practice our faith, our strength, and our love in the every day of our lives. If we habitually lean on Him and cling to His word, we grow in our faith. If we practice overcoming evil in our own lives daily, then we’ll be ready to face our difficulties in the future. Our God is good, and we overcome evil by doing, thinking, and believing the good until He calls us home.
21 Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
Prayer
Lord, You know what the future holds. I place my future in Your hands. In Your mercy and with Your wisdom, prepare me for the future that You know I’ll face. I choose to cling to You and Your word to overcome the evil I face with goodness. Give me the grace to do this successfully until you call me home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
