Core Truth: Not unlike the believers of Peter’s time, today’s true followers of Christ are facing growing persecution, suffering, and adversities, both in the form of some of the greatest waves of torture and death now happening on a rapidly growing scale in many nations around the world which is at its worse since the earliest days of the church, but also in what’s been called a “soft persecution” now on the rise in nations such as our own, as those same deadly spiritual forces are manifesting growing hostility and social marginalization toward people of the genuine Christian community. As a result, the Apostle Peter tells us what to expect and how to handle these new realities.
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8-11 (JBP)
Be self-controlled and vigilant always, for your enemy the devil is always about, prowling like a lion roaring for its prey. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and remember that the strain is the same for all your fellow-Christians in other parts of the world. And after you have borne these sufferings a very little while, God Himself (from whom we receive all grace and who has called you to share His eternal splendor through Christ) will make you whole and secure and strong. All power is His for ever and ever, amen!