I have come to realize by experience that if we don’t see ourselves on the winning side during these difficult days before Jesus comes for His church, we will be weak and fearful. Anxiety will overwhelm us. Doubt and insecurity will wreak havoc with our faith. In short—we will not be well. I suspect there are multiplied thousands, if not millions, of us who already fit this description.  

People all over the world have experienced the agonizing effects of COVID-19. In the United States, we are just beginning to see what damage the lockdowns alone have done—especially to the young and the old. My heart breaks as I think of the vulnerable children who are locked inside their homes with angry, depressed, and perhaps abusive parents or relatives. And my heart breaks equally as much for what has happened to the elderly.

Yesterday, I saw a Facebook post about the residents in a nursing home in Colorado who staged a protest to the lockdown. They were outside, lined up in wheelchairs and holding signs that said, “We’d rather die from COVID than to die from loneliness.” It is shameful what has happened to them.

Even before the onset of the pandemic, I had determined to prepare myself mentally, spiritually, and emotionally for the last days. You don’t have to look very hard to find a description of the last days in God’s Word (Matthew 24; Luke 21), and let’s face it—those days won’t be easy. I began asking God to lead me to books, people and programs on Christian Networks that would strengthen my faith.  

God has clearly answered that prayer. I have watched my faith grow and my confidence flourish. Powerful truths in God’s Word that I have known for 40 years began to come alive in my spirit once again. Apparently, I had stifled and stuffed down those truths because I was afraid if I voiced them or taught them, I wouldn’t be “politically or doctrinally correct.” I asked the Lord to forgive me, and today I no longer care whether or not I am considered correct by the world’s standards.  

Now before you criticize me, perhaps you have done the same thing. Haven’t we Christians toned down our beliefs on sin, so we won’t be out of touch with our culture? Aren’t we afraid to speak our true feelings about certain issues that cause division? Yep, it seemed best not to take a stand. And what we see today is a wanning church reaping the results of preaching a “weak gospel.”

Last week I spent two full days praying about one particular situation. During the early hours of the first day, I heard God speak to me: “Truth and Light. Pray for truth and light.” I began doing that very thing. Throughout the day, my eyes began to open to what a huge difference those two words could make in the situation for which I was praying. Next, I began applying those two words in other situations. It eventually became very clear: Truth and light could make a huge difference in every aspect of our lives—our nation, schools, churches, families, jobs, health, faith—in fact, our everything!

My friends, we desperately need TRUTH AND LIGHT in our world. There is distrust everywhere we turn. We clearly have a “trust” issue. COVID has taught us to not trust what our government is saying, what doctors are saying, and what scientists are saying. Politicians have deceived us. Our nation’s history is being torn down and destroyed before our eyes. Clearly, what is good is now called evil, and what is evil is now called good.

The Lord has spoken many encouraging things to me in the past few weeks. The words “truth and light” have exploded on the pages of my journals. God has shown me the “lies” that have been taught down through the ages deceiving millions of people, including God’s very own people. I will share these things with you in my future posts. But between then and now, I ask you to do three things:

1) Dare to believe that God is for you. He is not against you.

2) Begin to see yourself on the winning side during this unprecedented time in which we live. Jesus told us these days would come so we could be ready.

3) Pray that God will open your eyes, your ears, your mind and your spirit to whatever you need to know that you currently do not know.  

Pray this prayer for yourself: Dear God, in these strange and unsettling days, I desperately want to believe that you are for me and that I am on the winning side. I ask you to begin right now to open my eyes, ears, mind and spirit to whatever I need to know that I currently do not know. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ~ John 8:32

Blessings to all ~ Janie