Is Victory In Your Future?

In 1983, residents of a Florida apartment building awoke to a terrifying sight outside their windows. The ground beneath the street in front of their apartment building had literally collapsed creating a massive depression that Floridians have come to call a sinkhole. Tumbling into the ever-deepening pit were automobiles, sidewalks and lawn furniture. The apartment building itself was obviously the next thing to go. Geologist tell us that sinkholes occur when the underground rock and sediment is drained away over time by water table shifts and the forces of erosion. When this happens, the crust of the earth no longer has a supporting structure beneath it. When the external forces, in this case weight on the surface, exceed the limit of support, the ground collapses and a sinkhole is formed. Anything that happens to be on the surface when the ground collapses is swallowed up in sudden destruction – houses, cars, factories, highways, livestock, pets and people. In Rocksprings, Texas there is a place called The Devil’s Sinkhole. It is named this because it was believed to be the proverbial “bottomless pit.” If one looks into the hole, all you can see is about400 feet of straight down into utter darkness. It has a long and narrow shaft at the surface that leads to a large lower chamber inside. Each evening, as the sun sets, millions of bats swarm out of the chamber and up through the narrow opening in an ominous black cloud of beating wings and shrill cries that twists and turns like a tornado as these nocturnal residents leave the cavern to hunt for food throughout the night.

[Ephesians 6:10-12] There is a different kind of Devil’s Sinkhole that is far more ominous, for it constantly threatens to virtually open underneath your feet. The devil is at work, right now, in an attempt to erode the foundations of your heart, your mind, your character, your integrity, your resolve, your purpose and your very soul. At the same time, he is working to apply pressure on the surface of your life by trying to overwhelm your time your energy, your finances, your family, your friendships, your health and your occupation. His goal is to cause as much pain, sorrow and despair as possible. He wants to destroy your faith in God because he wants you to surrender to the wilds of the world. Allow the evil one to weigh you down and you will collapse.

[Revelation 2:10] God has promised us many wonderful blessings in His Word. The grandest blessings are reserved for those who are faithful to him unto the very end. One of these grand blessings is the crown of life. This is the promise given to the church at Smyrna which was suffering and would suffer even greater things in the future. To them the word of exhortation was given, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” God’s people cannot be defeated. We may be persecuted, troubled on every side, tormented, and sometimes disheartened, but if we remain faithful we are set for victory! Christians, instead of striving for earthly glory, make sacrifices for the eternal “…crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).

Because mankind is continuing the endeavor to “guide his own path”, this Memorial Day weekend has lost some of  its luster in honor and gratitude for those who gave their all to protect our constitutional and God given rights declared by “We the People”, freeing citizens to worship and pursue happiness under the protection of God’s graces. Church persecution will bring about apostasy, and the return of Christ. Are you ready?