Pray for me, you and all believers for "last days" courage

[DRDS]

Hello everyone, please pray for me, for all the believers currently alive, and for yourself that God will give us courage and fearlessness to be able to withstand the hardships along with the persecution that is coming very soon and in many ways, is already here. Also I don't want to debate about whether or not there is a pre trib rapture or a post trib rapture.

I myself deeply hope that there will be a pre trib rapture, BUT I'm very open to the idea of a post trib rapture or the idea that we will have to go through the tribulation and many if not all of us will have to face the decision to either take the mark of the beast or face death by beheading.

Right now I don't really hold total conviction of either theory. But I have a good general way of looking at the situation. I "hope" for a pre trib rapture, but I should "prepare" for a post trib rapture and for death by beheading or possibly even death by starvation.

Now right now as I type this, in my nice semi comfortable home office (or bedroom that I converted into a home office) it's very easy for me to say that I'll certainly will able to choose not to take the mark and to die for Christ. I mean, that's what I plan to do, that's what I currently choose to do and hope I remain faithful to that promise.

But I'm very very scared mostly of me. I don't know when literally put in that position whether or not I will have the courage to keep from taking the mark when faced with the immediate threat of a violent and or a very painful death.

So far in life I've been somewhat lucky going on twenty eight years this coming March 27th. to not be faced with imminent death. I haven't even had any close calls or anything of the like. And I also consider myself a very careful and sometimes a overly fearful person.

And because of that I don't know if I can trust my ability to resist the mark. I know that if I take the mark I lose my salvation. The Bible is crystal clear on that. But in conclusion, I'm asking you all to pray that God will naturally, supernaturally or any possible way empower us with the boldness, fearlessness and the ability to resist the mark and to endure any torture, suffering and violent death for that resistance.

Be praying this not only for me, but for you and all of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Things I feel are really starting to get bad. It's becoming more and more obvious and will be even more clear I bet in the next few months. Please pray earnestly and pray long for our ability to resist the mark and for God to watch over us, empower us and protect us. Thank you all for your time. God bless you all.

[Kenzel]

I'll be praying for you and our fellow believers, but try not to worry about this too much. I'm a fearful person myself, and I have trouble sleeping because I think about things like this too much! It's definitely a scary thing to think about, but I have faith that if something like this were to happen, that God would give us all of the strength and courage that we'd need to get through it. He'll be there for you when you need Him. Just trust God and pray for peace and courage for whatever might happen in the future.

[Canuckster1127]

Matt 6: 25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

When we live in future fears we do so at the cost of the here and now. Jesus knew that all his apostles, with the exception of John, were going to die violent deaths and face intense persecutions along the way.

Jesus spoke this to his disciples before he sent them out to minister while he was still ministering on earth. I think the principle still applies. There's no point in worrying about what might happen (we may be in the end days, but then, we may not be and it may fall to another generation.) This is what Jesus told them, knowing already how many of them eventually would pay a high price.

16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

Seems like worrying about it now does one of two things: If that indeed is our fate, we'll go through it more than once and the worry and fear will paralyze and limit us for today. If it's not our fate, we'll have gone through an unpleasant experience in our worry and fear that we'll not face anyway.

Not preaching at you. Just encouraging you. Live in this moment not the future that may be.