SoLo Lives! Ministry

The signs of the times indicate that the clock is ticking away toward the end prophesied about in the Bible. When the going gets tough, forsaking Christianity is a tempting option. When everything seeks to topple us down, the genuine Christian’s choice is to persevere. Pressures and problems may knock us down, but they don’t have to knock us out. Getting up and continuing the race brings us nearer to the finish line.

We can persevere and march forward to complete victory when we draw from spiritual resources that should serve to motivate us:

1. God’s Spirit. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One… And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him” (1 John 2:20, 27). Living the Christian life is impossible, but through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, the odds can be beaten. We may feel like giving up at some point in our spiritual journey, but God Himself through His Spirit will preserve us, protect us and see us through as we walk by faith so we may stand firm on the Day of Judgment. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 1:24). “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Perseverance of the saints is possible because of God’s Spirit.

Many false prophets representing Christ will arise in the last days, performing miracles and claiming to have visions, that even the elect will be misled. However, God’s Spirit will not only make the perseverance of the saints possible. He will also give us the discernment to tell right from wrong, truth from error, the true Christ from the antichrist. Any religion that teaches other ways to heaven other than Christ, that focuses dependence on other persons, inanimate objects or rituals rather than the Living Christ actually diminishes the divinity of Jesus. Behind this is the spirit of the antichrist. But the true believers will not be led astray, because God’s Spirit is at work in them.

From the law of sin that once ruled our bodies whose only recourse is to sin, we are now under the law of the Spirit who gives us the power to say no to sin and the strength to stay away from it. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1-2). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22).

2. God’s Truth. The truth sets us free from the lies of the world and Satan. And the Truth is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6). There are those who not only deny the deity of Christ, but they also keep people away from Christ. Knowing the truth should make us share this truth to others, that they may not fall for the deceptions of false teachers and false prophets. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Having the truth in us should also make us live out the truth. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-25).

As works in progress, we are still prone to make mistakes. As we read the Bible, however, God’s Word convicts us. We can either do what God says without delay or we can procrastinate. However, choosing the latter could become disastrous. As early as year 2000, corrosions and cracks were noticed on the bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but no one tried to do anything about it. In 2005, a report said that it was structurally unstable, yet authorities decided that repairs could wait until year 2010. On August 1, 2007, the inevitable happened. The bridge collapsed! In the same way, we all have cracks showing in our lives; there are areas that need improvements. God speaks to us, but if we do not take heed and do not live in accordance with His Word, we are setting ourselves up for a great fall.

3. Christ’s Coming. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10). When Christ returns, will we have confidence or shrink away in shame? Are we excited about His coming, or are we distracted by many other things? He shall surely return, that is the promise, and it may be sooner than we think. If we knew Christ was coming in a week’s time, what would we be doing differently in the next seven days? How may we have confidence when Christ appears? Jesus is saying to those who believe Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31). “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:28-29). Abiding in Christ will make us abound in His work. Sharing the Gospel, good deeds and righteous acts will come in obedience to His Word, in anticipation of His coming.

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). Christ can come anytime. Our waiting should be one of perseverance and expectancy. When He comes, will we be found faithful?