Navigating The Times by Bola Ajakaiye

We would be wrong to think that the occurrence in the past couple of decades is same as is today. Not only did trends and other things evolve, but quite a lot has changed with the stability of the world itself in question. Surely, you and I have not lived through the recent past century, and we may not have witnessed even half of it, but reports and history has the comparison laid out.
The world as we know it today is faced with many uncertainties and twists more than ever before that it becomes necessary to understand why. These happenings are far from coincidental. A couple of decades is a great deal of time to have reflected changes, and even though we do not expect to be stagnated on a spot, It may have boggled your mind as much as it did mine following the sharp contrast that exists between these times.
But wait, we are conscious of the word of God and not ignorant about the times and seasons. It is important to know that as the bible says it, there will be end-times; which refers to the closing era of the world. We do know that our stay here has expiration. The bible says that the world and everything in it is passing away (1 John 2:17). We also know that there are usual signs that signify the end of things. Just like the end of a movie crystalizes earlier dramatic twists, suspense etc., this is exactly what we are experiencing now.
The seeming chaos as we know happening in the world today is nothing but the signs of the end, and guess what? The bible talked about them happening even before time. Can you believe that?! This is why the occurrence of many years ago is different from what it is now. The end will always be different. The bible mentioned famine, earthquakes happening; It mentioned an outbreak of pandemic, the quest for world unification through central governance, the rise of anti -Christ, brothers hating on one another etc. (Matthew 24).
We cannot afford to be ignorant of these things. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed. In fact these things were foretold not for our reading pleasure, but for our own preparation so that we are not caught in the misfortune that would come with the end and even more importantly so we do not lose our souls eternally. Listen, we are God’s special creation and when He was creating the world, He had you in mind. He didn’t intend for you to perish or languish in the intricacies of the world; this is why He gave you His word so as to preserve you and keep you in the light.
One of the predicted signs is that the love of many for God during these times will grow cold; people will become less sensitive to the things of God. A number of Christians who started strong with much vigor would find their strengths waning with no desire to stay fired up. The things of God which they were passionate about would get uninteresting. Their conscience becomes deadened by the day. Call it backsliding but trust me it wouldn’t come with a sharp deviation from the person they used to be, in fact, such people will find themselves growing into this other life that they may never quickly realize is different from the one they used to know.
The scripture is real and it must be fulfilled. The things foretold must happen before the apocalypse is ushered in, but this is not to cast any fears in the minds of people. In fact, it is to keep ourselves as God’s beloved sensitive, careful and grounded within the confines of His will. The bible says “He that thinks He stands should stand firm, lest he falls.” (1 Corinthians 10:12).“Remember the race isn’t to the swift or the battle to the strong…” You cannot assume that you are too strong to fall victim to the devices of the enemy, neither can you assume you are too well secured in faith and so begin to live care freely. No! oh, I tell you, even the mightiest have fallen and they are still falling.
Whether we admit it or not and whether we like it or not, we are in the end times and we will have to preserve our faith in the midst of it all. With the continuous chaos and perilous times, we need to strategise and consciously learn how to live through it without becoming affected or compromised. First thing first is to continue to hold on to your belief as a Christian. Beliefs don’t change with changing times, No, they remain the same regardless. Uphold the values etched in your faith, never compromise that for anything. The bible says “we are not of them that shrink back and are destroyed but of those who believe and are saved” (Heb 10:39).
Secondly, you must check yourself; better put, check your life against the backdrop of the word of God and this must be a constant practice. As mentioned earlier, some slip off with the pressure of times without realizing it until too late. Thankfully, as Christians, our consciences are stirred up by the Holy Spirit such that it becomes almost impossible not to know when one begins to fall out of line. In fact, the challenge is not that people do not know when they begin to slip, but they often deliberately ignore and suppress the pull of the Spirit and decide to go their own perceived way which the bible says only ends in disaster.
The action you currently are taking, does it align well with the word of God and what is the force the Holy Spirit is exerting upon you as it relates to the matter at hand? You must be truthful and sincere to yourself when answering this.
The last and obvious strategy would be to deliberately avoid pitfalls knowing what the word of God already predicted. The bible warned that the love of many for Him would wax cold in the last days, so why should you fall victim to this when you are fully aware of what the word says. In this case, it is important to be very vigilant and guard jealously your faith and walk with God.
While the world begins to fade out, we all as children of God must preserve ourselves and our faith. Although we were not promised a rosy walk but we are guaranteed the peace of God at all times. May the continuous grace and peace of the father never elude us at such critical times in Jesus name. It is my prayer that we remain ready for Him in Jesus name. Mathew 24:13- “For anyone who endures till the end, the same shall be saved.”