“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!

Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 

The Lord to Joshua, after the death of Moses (Joshua 1.9)

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

Ephesians 6.10

 

Sometimes my heart hurts as I contemplate the state of the world. The pain of war, famine, disease, and regret, the result of the curse of sin, and too often the result of intentional rebellion against God and thus self-inflicted suffering, is apparent around the globe. I wish I could ‘inject’ every soul with the love and forgiveness of God, and bring the agony to an end. Of course, that decision is left to the will of each person.

 

But more often – and in recent days, my heart hurts as I contemplate the state of the body of Christ on earth, the family of the redeemed. The pain of prideful leaders, false teaching, moral failure, and regret, too often the self-inflicted wounds of defeat in the battle against sin and Satan, scar the landscape. I wish I could liberate every believer (including myself) from the presence of sin – but that awaits a future day with our Lord.

 

The last month has pierced us with the news of megachurch pastors, spiritual leaders to tens of thousands, being exposed for sexual sin. In one case the sin was egregious, yet self-righteously justified, and then covered up by complicit church leaders for years. They coveted the power of their position more than the praise of their God. This isn’t new – moral failure is one of Satan’s favorite weapons. But it hurts when it happens.

 

Another source of grief is Christian leaders deceiving God’s ‘sheep,’ welcoming ‘wolves’ into God’s fold (Acts 20.29-31 warns of this!). A recent book (Shepherds For Sale, Megan Basham) shows how megachurches, colleges and seminaries, parachurch organizations, and even entire denominations have been infected with godless ideologies, some receiving a financial windfall and praise from secular institutions. (Not all Basham’s assertions are well-founded, so proceed with caution!) My heart aches when I see ministries which once faithfully proclaimed the gospel trading it in for ‘social justice’ – ultimately, and inevitably, embracing that which God calls an ‘abomination’ (I leave it to the reader to do his own wordsearch for this in Scripture).

 

Related to this is a loss of commitment to the truth of God’s Word, and a confusion of the wonderful gospel of God’s grace, in many churches. The former has led many Christians into uncertainty, not knowing what biblical teachings are true and what are not – leading ultimately to an abandonment of the authority of the Bible. The latter has led many Christians into a lack of assurance and joy in the Christian life: By adding a requirement of ‘good works’ to “believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16.31), they are left not knowing if they are saved or not. How tragic! (The antidote for this: 1 John 5.11-13!)

 

With all the spiritual challenges from without and within, we need to be strong. Scripture tells us to be strong in the Lord. How can we do that? Certainly, regular reading of God’s Word, and meeting with other believers for fellowship and encouragement, is vital. But most critical of all is prayer, making time to pray on your own (even if it’s when you’re driving to work!), and to pray with others. Do it this week. If you’re in a small group, make time for prayer. If not, call a Christian friend and meet for prayer. And ‘be strong in the Lord.’