There is an increasing heaviness to my life that I haven’t been able to shake.
It’s not depression. It is a heaviness, an increasing sadness. It is real and it is here. Despite my great joy at knowing Jesus, at having the Kingdom of God inside me. Despite all I know about that future.
At times walking down the street or sitting quietly or hearing of an event or seeing a report, sometimes I am moved to tears. It is a sadness that grips my inner being, my heart, my soul. I have no doubt I am sharing in the sadness the Holy Spirit is feeling.
It is a sadness of seeing what is happening all around: Seeing lost people play out the charade of their existence. Seeing their sincere and misguided goals and hopes. Seeing Europe crater. Seeing America apparently coming apart at the seams, relentlessly attacked by unbelievers in the Lord who cloak themselves as reporters, congressmen, college professors and students, bureaucrats, even violent rioters, lemmings all who are following the pied piper of evil right over the cliff and trying to take one of the grandest of human achievements with them.
What will be here when the Lord returns?
Remember, in truth, it really doesn’t matter so long as you really know Jesus and are ready to go with him. What happens around you is just so much filler of time and space…that is, except for the people you see caught up in all this evil, no doubt some close to you that you wish knew the Lord, knew the truth.
How are we to go on? Well, we know the Lord. We do know truth. We will be here when Jesus comes unless we have already gone to join him. Our eyes should and must be on him. Our hopes and our future are all in him.
There is nothing wrong or strange about suddenly feeling sad these days; about needing a moment to compose yourself. We really are in the last days. It is difficult watching organizations and institutions we have held dear in our lives crumbling and falling apart, losing their focus. It is really hard watching people in key positions calling good evil and evil good.
And it is difficult seeing so many churches and the people going there on weekends thinking they are doing what they are supposed to, churches that are not teaching about the imminent return of the Lord, churches that don’t teach about how the Holy Spirit is for each of us right now today with all his gifts, churches that don’t even teach the need to be born again.
In this time and seeing all the confusion and evil that is evident everywhere, no doubt we all feel called upon to do more and more to help others know the Lord, to know the truth. And this is surely what we should be doing, part of Jesus’ assignment to all believers in his Great Commission at the end of Mark. So we go forward asking the Holy Spirit to arrange divine encounters, to guide us in our efforts. And still as we intend to do all we can we have the heaviness of realizing just how many don’t know the truth of the gospel. And we have the heaviness of realizing just how many apparently don’t really want to hear or know the truth.
The overwhelming majority of people do not know. We who are looking forward to the imminent return of the Lord truly are a remnant; hopefully, a growing remnant, but still a remnant. It was always thus. Jesus himself explained how hard it is for people:
….wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. – Matthew 7:13-14
For all believers who strive to do the Lord’s work, to be his follower, there is of course the great cost of following him. So many – even close relatives and friends – may look with disdain on your faith and your activities and priorities. I know Cathy and I have on many fronts seen a separation from others who at times were friends and from some relatives and family members who just cannot understand what we are about or are scared by it all.
But for us and for you, there is the great internal joy of knowing the truth. We know the end of the book. We live every day with the great assurance from Jesus that he is never going to lose us. And we seek always to go forward in the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
September 2023
Copyright © 2023 by John Newlin
Please forward copies of this to whomever you would.
Note:
To get copies of our book WAKE UP AMERICA! go to AMAZON or our website or contact the ministry.
To get any ministry materials just go to the ministry website or contact the ministry.
Be sure to watch our new videos on X (Twitter) and YOUTUBE focusing on aspects of the return. Encourage others to watch. So many just don’t know the gospel nor the time. So many just don’t know Jesus.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!
JOHN NEWLIN MINISTRIES
P O BOX 1038
CARY, NC 27518
https://johnnewlinministries.org
email: john@johnnewlinministries.org
Twitter.com/johnnewlinmin
Blog: johnnewlin.blogspot.com
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