“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” (1 Peter 4:17-19)

Peter was a man who understood what it meant to go through trials. During his years with Jesus he was brash and outspoken. In his finer moments he would proclaim “…Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16b) but other times he tried to stop Jesus, whom he proclaimed as the Christ—from going to Jerusalem to fulfill His mission on earth.

When Judas led the men to arrest Jesus, it was Peter who drew a sword to defend Him, but it was also Peter who later that night denied knowing Jesus and hid during the crucifixion. Through it all Jesus forgave Peter. After the Resurrection Jesus told His disciples to wait for Him in Galilee and it was there that a humble Peter was restored as a disciple and urged to “feed My sheep.”

Peter was changed. He was no longer ashamed to preach the gospel and he boldly spoke with the power of the Holy Spirit. Because of his boldness many people came to salvation through his witness. Peter faced his trials head on and he ultimately faced his own execution. If anyone understood fiery trials it was Peter and he learned to rejoice because they helped him to draw closer to Jesus.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

The persecution of Christians was beginning and Peter wanted his fellow Christians to be strong. Today it’s important for us to take Peter’s words to heart because we still face persecution and testing of our faith.

When we accept Christ as our Savior we also need to accept Him as Lord. As Savior He forgives our sin, but as Lord He rules our life so we make godly choices. This may cause us to face fiery trials and persecution. Many Christians today face imprisonment and torture because they won’t deny Christ, but the everyday trials we face can wear us down if we aren’t diligent in our walk with Christ. When Jesus is Lord of our life, we make decisions based on His example.

The Bible is the guide for our attitudes, speech, and choice of lifestyle. Through his own mistakes Peter had learned valuable lessons and could speak with authority about the changes one should make. In this first letter he spoke of suffering persecution for being faithful to Jesus, but he also addressed what we shouldn’t suffer for.

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” (1 Peter 4:15)

Are these characteristics we think of in a Christian? There are consequences to sin and if you plan to murder someone or steal property you pay by going to jail. A Christian should never do these things and therefore shouldn’t suffer for doing them. Evildoers and busybodies aren’t usually sent to jail but Peter includes these things in the same group as murder and theft.

Those who do wrong to other people and gossip do suffer, but it comes from having guilt over treating others wrongly and not being likable. If you claim to be a Christian and these things are a part of your life, you need to take an honest look at yourself and repent from these sins and have allow Christ to change you. A Christian should never bring shame to the name of Jesus.

On the other hand, if you suffer persecution and ridicule from the people around you because you choose to follow Christ then you have nothing to be ashamed of. Judgment begins at the house of the Lord and Christians who think they have a license to sin all they want will have a rude awakening.

Peter knew what Jesus had suffered to purchase our salvation and encourages us to have the same mind as Christ

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2)

Jesus had no sin but He faced temptations like we do. Satan tried to tempt Him to fail but Jesus answered every temptation with Scripture. We need to arm ourselves with the word of God so that when temptation comes our way we can recall Scripture to strengthen our resistance. Before we came to Christ we lived by the rules of the world, but for a Christian that should no longer be true.

“For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:3-5)

Before becoming a Christian many people lived it up with no rules of right and wrong. Now that you’ve become a Christian you are to turn away from drunkenness, sexual encounters outside of a one man one woman marriage, and any activity that doesn’t honor God. Will your old friends congratulate you for making a wise choice in choosing to not sin? No. They’ll ridicule you for being a “Goody two-shoes” or “Holier than thou.”

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

You are a sinner saved by grace, but your old friends are sinners who need to meet Jesus. If you don’t stand firm for Christ they will influence you to return to worldly ways. Your mission is to influence them by not compromising your faith.

Peter wasn’t the only one who wrote about being persecuted because of faith in Jesus. Paul also wrote about this in his second letter to Timothy.

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

Paul’s life had been filled with persecution because of his faith in Jesus, and Timothy was well aware of what Paul had suffered. This persecution by “evil men and seducers” is still around today and getting worse. The worldly people around us are still doing what they can to cause Christians to fail through persecution and it’s easy to allow ourselves to be influenced by Satan’s minions through movies, music, television, and the internet. As we draw nearer to the end of time this will get much worse.

Christians must separate from the things in this world that promote sin…we are called upon to be in the world but not to be a part of the world. Choose entertainment using godly judgment and Christian parents need to home school their children. This is a spiritual battle we’re in and Christians need to stand against the enemy.

All of this brings us back to judgment. Judgment will come to everyone. Christians have been forgiven, but our works will be judged. Rewards will be given for things done for Christ, but things done for the lust of the flesh will be burned. Sin never glorifies Jesus. If you claim to be a Christian but are practicing sin repent and begin living for Christ.

The book of Revelation is prophecy which will soon be fulfilled. Jesus dictated letters to John which were addressed to seven congregations. These letters outline a history of the “Church Age.” From the letter to the congregation in Ephesus right through the final letter written to the Laodiceans we’re given a summary of history in advance (from John’s perspective). Most scholars agree that the “age” we are in today is described in the letter to the Laodiceans. They are apostate and lukewarm in their faith. Jesus will spew them from His mouth and this lukewarm group will be judged.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” (Revelation 3:17-18)

In other words, turn away from the world and turn to Jesus for that which only He can provide: salvation. New Age, purpose driven, emergent church, contemplative prayer, and more false doctrines are permeating congregations today. Get back to the basics…study God’s Word and apply it to your life.

Jesus gave His life so nobody will have to spend eternity in the lake of fire. Do you claim to be a Christian but still live a lifestyle of sin, lust, and worldly pleasures?

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:19-22)

Many congregations today leave Jesus outside but look for the latest gimmick to pacify the congregation. Sinful lifestyles are common in many congregations and Jesus isn’t welcome inside, but is knocking in order for someone to hear and invite Him in. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian has truly accepted Christ. If you have, then a change should be evident.

Accepting Christ means you recognize that you are a sinner and need Jesus Christ for salvation. The temptation to fall back into sin will always be there, but if you allow Jesus to be Lord of your life you will turn from sin. Don’t just give lip service to Him but give your life to Him. It isn’t too late for you to call on Jesus today, but tomorrow may be too late.

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God…” (1 Peter 4:17a).

It must begin at the house of God because who else has been entrusted with His Word? Who else should understand how to represent Him? Start living your life for Him today.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

All original Scripture is “theopneustos” (God breathed).

All original Scripture is “theopneustos” (God breathed).

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

The apostle John is speaking to those individuals who belong to Jesus Christ. He addresses us as little children, which is a term of endearment; he goes on to admonish the brethren against dangers in the spiritual realm. John says “Ye are of God.” only those who are born-again fall into this category.

Because Christ has been victorious over His foes, we who belong to Him through faith can celebrate His victory over death as we, too, have victory. Therefore we have no reason to fear Christ’s foes. Why? We’ve been given the power to withstand them. That doesn’t mean Satan is through attacking believers. Quite the contrary, he is fully intent on crippling us in regard to our walk with Christ. How does he do this? His tactic is legendary because of its success.

Fear is the key to Satan’s flourishing but debilitating dark and sinister practices. Using fear as a weapon, Satan and his evil horde of minions have demonstrated enormous influence over the minds of many followers of Jesus Christ. Fear will ultimately eliminate the usefulness of a Christian in regards to their purpose which is to promote the gospel to this lost world.

Fear can weaken our resolve, while we are overcome with a sense of dread, terror, horror, which leads to panic in the face of adversity. Fear can freeze up our walk with Christ which is why fear is a preferred tool of the enemy.

Darkness instills fear, and the enemy is the lord of darkness. Just contemplating venturing out into the dark night can conjure up images in our minds of all sorts of ghouls and goblins. God never glorifies darkness. Why? Because it is the realm of the malevolent supernatural. Do you ever wonder why we can’t see in the dark? Do you ever wonder why, as soon as we switch on the light or the sun begins to peak over the horizon we then become at ease and relieved of fear?

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good.” (Genesis 1:3-4a)

God proclaims that the light is good. But try as we might, we can’t find where God specifically declares the darkness as good. The Hebrew word choshek translated into English as “darkness” can also mean “obscurity, to obscure, or confuse.” From the word obscurity we get “gloom, spiritual unreceptively, and calamity.” Darkness breeds confusion and that is Satan’s playground. This  is where fear becomes enabled in the psyche.

Remember, when I speak of Satan and his seeking to destroy us, I’m also referring to hordes of malevolent helpers he has at his disposal. Satan is not God, it’s impossible for him to work alone. When you give some thought to who he is you come to the conclusion that he is only a very poor excuse for a supernatural being. But like I said, his powers of persuasion are legendary.

Satan capitalizes on the fear factor in everyone, but especially in those who have given their lives to Christ. He maximizes fear to its highest level, this begins a process of eroding our confidence, which leads to an attitude of defeat. When fear is enabled, even for a moment, we become a people with a disability. Our “fearful” disabilities becomes a stronghold for the enemy, and consider this: the enemy never rests.

Fear can convince us to change course, take another path, even to persuade ourselves to discontinue certain aspects of our Christian walk. Through fear the Christian can be consumed with doubt, doubt that will focus on the denial of what God has promised to those who will keep the faith. As born-again believers in Christ, God has placed His Holy Spirit within us. So really, what is there to fear? God is greater than any of His foes. His Holy Spirit is not a subset of a greater God, He is God.

Scary stuff will always arise in our lives, but it’s when we allow those scary things to manifest into fears to be inculcated into our minds that we are actually permitting the enemy a firm hold on our lives. The demonic supernatural presence surrounding us knows full well how fear cripples. Most people will attempt to dismiss any thought of demons as pure myth, and will relegate anyone who believes in the demonic to the realm of lunatics on the fringe of society. This is, of course, is exactly what Satan wants. Christians should know better.

“Fear not” is a phrase which is given numerous times in the scriptures as an admonishment to encourage us. Yet many Christians become overwhelmed with fear to the point that they are stricken with mental paralysis. Why? As believers in Christ we need not be fearful of anything worldly nor should we fear the supernatural. People tell me that they, at times, have been too afraid to speak up for Jesus. This fear is one of perception; they fear those who don’t believe. They fear being mocked, ridiculed, or subjected to some other form of mental persecution.

Do you love Him? Seriously, do you love Him?

Would you even have to think twice about standing up for your spouse or children? No! We would be fearless in such a case. Why then, when the world threatens our family are we fully prepared to defend them but in the case of someone attacking our greatest love, our glorious Blessed Hope (Jesus the Christ) do we remain silent? Because Satan has already established a stronghold of fear in the lives of many of Jesus’ followers.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.” (Luke 21:25)

The above verse is a small example of what people will be experiencing in the last days before the Lord’s return, days which will be filled with perplexity. Perplexity causes men to become confused and disorientated, unable to make decisions—which causes them to have doubts about which way to go. The very next verse tells it all:

“Men’s hearts failing them for fear.” (Luke 21:26)

Perplexity leads to fear, which leads to the failing of hearts.

The poisonous darts of the enemy will increase in the last days and those who have rejected the Lord Jesus will become a powerful resource for the enemy to draw from. A state of fear placed upon the “in Christ” believer will only serve the enemy in these last days. When God says “fear not” He’s telling us we have nothing to fear as we are His children. God delights in lighting our paths as He guides us through the darkness.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” (Psalm 23:4)

Who can forget the 23rd Psalm; most of us have it memorized. It is a comfort to repeat it, even more so in the face of adversity. We fear no evil. Why? Because thou art with us, O God. The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted (Psalm 18:46). Jesus is the rock and shield for all those who follow Him. When the enemy attacks, Jesus is our strength because carnal weapons will do us no good.

When we are encompassed about by the enemy and his minions who revel in darkness, God and His holy angels are with us, but in numbers of such magnitude the enemy doesn’t stand a chance. At that point the enemy cowers and makes a speedy retreat. God will never walk away from a fight to protect His children.

If we allow doubt to creep in through fear the enemy finds an easy target to destroy. Destruction of the human race is what the enemy is all about. By filling the children of God with fear, the enemy will facilitate his goal of convincing many to follow him straight into hell. The more fearful Christians are the less promoting of the Gospel gets accomplished.

We who follow Jesus with all our hearts are His emissaries. As such we carry a message from God to be delivered to anyone who God chooses to place in our path. That message is a message of hope. No matter how tough it gets while we sojourn this world we mustn’t allow fear to dominate us or we will be consumed with it and doubt will be a natural outcropping. We are told to hold fast to the faith.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).” (Hebrews 10:23)

Here’s a little reminder I believe is appropriate at this juncture. Neglecting the study of God’s Word, leaves us wide open for the enemy’s shenanigans. Satan will dominate the life of a believer when that believer ignores God. God speaks to us through His Word. We can never overcome fear unless we trust God and rely on His inerrant word.

Disobedient children are always going to run into problems or obstacles that seem insurmountable because they’ve lost their focus on their greatest love. I assure you, true Bible study will turn into a habit that you will love and never break.

Jesus unabashedly tells His disciples what fear is – it’s a lack of faith.

“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

In that verse Jesus told His disciples that they are faithless.

There is nothing resembling faith in their actions as they allowed the fear of perishing to consume them. At that point in time His disciples still hadn’t recognized who Jesus really was, but today His followers know exactly who He is, fear and doubt should be the furthest thing from our minds.

“Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.” (Psalm 27:3)

David was a man who at various times was surrounded by his enemies, yet we’ve learned that he was also a man who was fully reliant on God for his strength. David was fearless as he stood up for his God. How can we be any less fearless as we stand up for Christ, after all, are we not children of the Most High God?

The malevolent armies that surround us, relentless as they are, are in battle with the Lord of all creation. Although they pursue us with an unholy determination to destroy us, as we move into a combatant mode, we must always remember that the actual physical battle belongs to the Lord. Our weapon of choice is prayer.

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Psalm 34:7)

Here we’re told that those who belong to the Lord have nothing to fear from God’s enemies. Why? We are encompassed round about by a multitude of godly angels and they are here for the guarding of the saints—we’re protected on every side. The battle rages, the enemy is relentless, but he is powerless against obedient godly angels.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

There is no room for fear in the life of a born-again believer “in Christ”—fear only leads to an unfulfilled life.

“Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.” (Lamentations 3:57)

God bless you all,

Ron Graham