What is the world coming to?

Read:

2 Timothy 3:1-6 (NIV): “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires…”

Matthew 6:32-33 (NLT): “These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

Act:

Let us be determined this week:

Fix our eyes and thoughts on our Lord instead of the things of this world. As we look to worldly figures and acquaintances such as leaders, educators, or friends, let us not forget the One who sacrificed Himself for us and has authority over our lives. May we live counter-cultural lives… In unity and following Jesus’ example as our common goal. As individuals and as the collective body of Christ, we cannot commit ourselves to two opposing tasks or beliefs. If there are divisions and we are distracted by confusion about worldly matters, or by a lack of trust in God’s guidance, it becomes impossible for us to move in the same direction and fulfil His plan and purpose for our lives. We must be united and aligned with our Heavenly Father’s will.
I have a few important questions for us to consider today:
– Who or what has the highest devotion of my heart?
– Who am I following?
– Are the people I follow leading me towards Jesus or away from Him?
– Do I believe that hope, restoration and freedom come from knowing and following Jesus?
– Am I convinced that my identity is not defined by the world but by the One to whom I belong?
– Do I recognise the fact that I am worthy, chosen, protected and loved once I surrender my life to Jesus?
– Do I know that the distractions of this world will fade away as I continue to follow God’s guidance and truth?
– Is it truly Jesus that I seek, follow and share?

May we receive the gift of daily discernment from the Lord as we observe the world around us. By relying on Him and following His guidance, we can avoid being misled. Despite the world’s influence and the enemy’s schemes, our Lord will grant us breakthroughs and victory as we diligently seek Him. Living a God-first life means prioritising God’s will and putting His kingdom first. This entails seeking divine wisdom from The Word of God. Trusting in God will enable us to discover truth, greater understanding, restoration, liberation, worth, hope and freedom. Regardless of the world’s direction, God will provide guidance for our lives. By centering our lives around Him, we can experience the joys of being close to Him, pleasing Him, and glorifying Him in all aspects of our lives. As the old hymn goes, ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory, and grace!’

Pray:

Father God, we thank You that You have set an example for us by coming to this earth in human flesh as Jesus. Lord, help us to follow You. Help us to set our eyes on the example that You set. Give us discernment to know if the leaders we follow are leading us closer to or further away from You. Lord, we ask this because we want to bring Your Kingdom here on earth. We don’t want to be divided or bound by sin. We pray this in Your precious name, Jesus.

Abba Father, we stand in the knowledge that victory is already won by You. Despite the plans of the enemy, we and our loved ones are in Your hands – and there is victory for each one of us.  There is liberation, and there is redemption.

Thank You Lord, for the truth of the gospel. It is not because of anything we have done or can do.  We can’t earn anything that You have so graciously offered us in Christ. We praise You that we are redeemed, that we are loved, that we are seen, that we are included and we are protected. Help us to live in the light of that and to keep looking up with our eyes fixed on You. In Jesus’ name.

Loving Lord and heavenly Father, I pray that our lives will become a reflection of Jesus Christ. I pray that our self-love will be nailed to the cross; and that He will increase in our lives and we will decrease. Take away all those things in us that are not of You, and mould us into the person that You would have us be. Lord, we are willing to be conformed into the beautiful likeness of Christ. Although this may be painful at times, teach us Your way until we can say, ‘It is not I that live, but Christ that lives in me.’ This I ask in Jesus’ name.

Father God, thank You so much for today. Thank You for this time together. We declare with our hearts that we are desperate and needy for all of You. Father, help us to embrace our seasons of wrestling – so that we can find that hidden treasure that is You. Open our hearts to learn and understand more of Your nature and Your character. Help us to know the truth so that we can walk in the freedom that Christ has given us. Lord, we seek You with all of our hearts. We surrender our lives to You and we declare, come and have Your way in and through us today. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

(This WRAP is with great appreciation towards Larise, Ina, Elisabeth, Ingrid and Nicole)

Subscribe to our Podcast Channel