As the tensions in the world continue to increase around us, many Christians are abandoning their faith, no longer attending church or staying plugged into any community. Agendas of fear are running rampant across the world, and many are succumbing to the pressures mounting around them.
This is an hour of history like no other, with missionaries leaving the field due to lack of funding and thousands of churches shutting their doors.
As the bride of Christ, when the fire starts getting hot, we need to get hotter. The trials are real, the pain, the sorrow—it is all real. It is what we do from those places that matters the most. I believe in this time we can glean a lot from the book of Ruth.
We see a woman whose husband died; she lost her sons and everything that was before her. Naomi had heard that God was moving powerfully back in Israel, and instead of sitting around waiting for it to come to her, she went after it with tenacity. Despite her pain and sorrow, she never stopped believing in the Lord her God. How easy it could have been for her to be offended at God, but instead, she decided to trust in Him.
Ruth looked at Naomi’s life and knew there was something more to the God Naomi served than the gods of the Moabites. Ruth left the comfort and familiarity of the place she grew up, where she fit in, and left to serve the God of the Israelites.
The Lord brought Ruth and Naomi to a place where harvest and abundance were happening. Ruth put her trust in the Lord, went to an entirely new place where she was a foreigner, and God brought her under His wings for refuge. Ruth’s commitment and humble heart led to favor all around her.
In this life, we must count the costs and join in the crucifixion of Christ. As the pressures increase and the times show the true color of our faith, where will we be found? Will we have oil in our lamps?
I’m not sure what is going on personally in your life, whether health struggles, family problems, finances or loneliness, but what I can tell you is that it matters what you do from that place. Will you take refuge under the wings of God? Or will you allow those pressures to pull you farther away from Him and question His goodness in your life?
I can tell you that pressures have built up around me. But until He comes again, I will continue to preach the gospel with urgency in my voice and on my feet. I will continue to believe that the Sauls will be transformed into Pauls, and that the most radical terrorists of the world will have the revelation of Jesus.
Take a moment and sit with Jesus, realign your life with His will, and find peace and comfort in His presence because friend, there is nothing else like it. {eoa}
Evangelist Caleb Wampler is founder and CEO of Kingdom Encounters International. He has seen hundreds of thousands of people come to Jesus in countries that are hostile to the gospel, witnessed incredible miracles and regularly experiences God’s wonder. For more information on evangelist Caleb Wampler, check out his ministry website at kingdomencounters.us. Stay connected through Caleb’s social media on Facebook and YouTube.
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Marilyn Hickey Ministries 
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