Christians throughout the centuries have been persecuted, rejected, and martyred for their faith. Why does the world seem to hate us so much? Paul Nyquist, in his book Prepare: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture, lists 3 reasons. And while we can’t avoid these truths, there is an important word of caution we need to consider.
We live in a culture where biblical Christianity is increasingly viewed as intolerant, offensive, or even harmful. Beliefs that were once widely accepted can now cost Christians friendships, opportunities, reputations, and sometimes much more.
Yet none of this should surprise us. Jesus told His followers that persecution would come. The question is: Are we prepared for it?
If greater opposition comes, will we respond with fear, anger, or compromise? Or will we have developed the kind of faith that enables us to stand firm, love our enemies, speak the truth, and trust God with the consequences?
Preparation for persecution doesn’t begin when the pressure becomes severe. It begins now—in what we feed our minds, how well we know God’s Word, how we respond to everyday mistreatment, and whether pleasing Christ is truly our greatest goal.
Sometimes God allows circumstances that should get our attention—events that expose our weakness, shake our sense of security, and remind us how much we need Him.
Judah had received just such a “warning shot.” But instead of turning to God and trusting His Word, many looked elsewhere for answers—to mediums and wizards.
Could America have received warning shots of our own? And rather than turning back to God, have we simply found our own modern-day sources of wisdom and security?
Where do we look when our nation is troubled, when the future seems uncertain, or when we’re afraid? To politicians, experts, commentators, and human solutions—or “to the law and to the testimony”?
Ultimately, the question is not merely what they will do. It’s what we will do. Will we trust God and His Word, or continue looking everywhere else for answers?
Isaiah described people who didn’t merely stumble into sin. They worked at it.
He pictured them pulling sin toward themselves with ropes, like a team of animals straining to pull a heavy load. They pursued what God called evil despite the warnings of His providence and the checks of their own consciences.
And in doing so, they were pulling something else toward themselves—God’s judgment.
Then Isaiah described a culture where people called evil good and good evil, substituted darkness for light, considered themselves wise while rejecting God’s wisdom, and twisted justice to accommodate wickedness.
Those words were written to Judah thousands of years ago. But could Isaiah just as easily be describing our nation today?
And if so, should we expect a different outcome?
Today we’ll look at what happens when individuals—and eventually entire cultures—persistently reject God’s standards. But we’ll also talk about how believers should respond when evil seems to be winning. The answer isn’t violence, hatred, or returning evil for evil. Scripture calls us to repentance, righteous action, respect for God-ordained authority, and ultimately to follow Christ’s example by entrusting ourselves to the One who judges justly.
God, through the prophet Isaiah, had a great deal to say about judgment. And in Isaiah 3, He spoke directly to the women of Zion. Their clothing, jewelry, perfume, beauty, and appearance had become connected to something much deeper—a heart of pride and a desire to attract attention.
God warned that judgment was coming, even in the very areas they valued so highly.
But does that mean God is against attractive clothing, jewelry, perfume, or other ways we care for our appearance? And what principles might this passage give us about modern questions like tattoos, piercings, t-shirts, modesty, and fashion?
The answer goes deeper than a list of rules. It requires us to examine our motives, our consciences, and the effect our choices may have on others.
And there is another important truth in Isaiah’s warning. God wasn’t warning His people because He delighted in judgment. He was calling them to repent. And in the middle of those warnings, He gave His faithful people a wonderful word of encouragement:
“Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them.”
What does that promise mean when God’s judgment affects the culture and nation around us? And what kind of “divine supports and comforts” does God provide His people in difficult times?
But God didn’t send Isaiah to His people out of meanness. He sent him to warn them so they could repent and turn from evil and going their own way because God cannot be just, holy, and righteous and not judge evil. Something our nation, as a whole, needs to understand.
So, what does all this have to do with tattoos and t-shirts? And what words of encouragement did Isaiah include in his warnings?
But God didn’t send Isaiah to His people out of meanness. He sent him to warn them so they could repent and turn from evil and going their own way because God cannot be just, holy, and righteous and not judge evil. Something our nation, as a whole, needs to understand.
So, what does all this have to do with tattoos and t-shirts? And what words of encouragement did Isaiah include in his warnings?
“Let your women keep silent in the churches … they are to be submissive.”
Those words can stop a modern reader in her tracks.
For many women, the first reaction is confusion. For others, it may be frustration or even anger. Does God value men more than women? Is Paul saying women have nothing important to contribute? And how do we reconcile this passage with other Scriptures that clearly show women praying, serving, teaching other women, exercising spiritual gifts, and being fellow heirs of God’s grace?
The key is not to isolate one difficult verse from the rest of Scripture.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul was addressing a church marked by confusion, disorder, and the misuse of spiritual gifts. His concern throughout the passage was that worship be orderly, edifying, and conducted under God’s authority.
So what does “let your women keep silent” actually mean in that context? What does biblical submission have to do with worth, roles, and authority? And why is submission not something unique to women?
We’ll also begin the book of Isaiah, where God confronts His people for practicing outward religion while their hearts were far from Him. Judgment was coming—but even in those opening chapters, we begin to see glimpses of the mercy and grace He would later provide.
Red hot love? Does God really approve of a red-hot sexual relationship within the context of marriage? Judge for yourself as you read the descriptive and suggestive language the lovers used in the Song of Solomon!
And what about pornography … is there a place for it within marriage or outside of it?
What does it mean to love someone biblically?
It’s relatively easy to be loving when the other person is considerate, appreciative, and treating us the way we want to be treated. But what happens when that person is being selfish, inconsiderate, or unkind?
That’s when we discover whether our definition of love is based primarily on feelings and what we’re getting in return—or on God’s definition of love.
In today’s reading, even Solomon and his bride experienced a lovers’ quarrel in which selfishness got in the way. But the principles involved aren’t just for marriage. They apply to our relationships with parents, children, co-workers, friends, neighbors, extended family, and even strangers.
And 1 Corinthians 13 gives us one of Scripture’s clearest pictures of what that kind of love looks like. Biblical love is patient when we’re tempted to be impatient, kind in the face of unkindness, willing to believe the best, doesn’t allow itself to become provoked, and able to persevere without demanding something in return.
So, can we really love someone that way when he or she isn’t loving us back?
We’ll also look at God’s amazing care for all His creatures, what Proverbs says about our attitude toward the wicked, and I’ll share a FREE printable you can use during your devotional time to help examine how you’re doing in the area of biblical love.
Most of us think of holiness primarily in terms of what we do or don’t do. But God’s standard goes much deeper. He is concerned about what is happening in our hearts long before anyone else can see it.
That means the thoughts we entertain matter.
We may tell ourselves, I’m only thinking about it. I’d never actually do it. But Scripture warns us that the thoughts and desires we allow to take root can eventually control us.
In the book of James, God gives us two powerful pictures of how temptation and sin work. One comes from fishing and the other from conception and birth. Together, they show us how our desires can lure us toward sin and how thoughts that seem harmless can be fed and nurtured until they eventually produce something destructive.
The sinful thoughts we believe we can handle may eventually end up handling us.
So, how do we stop that process before temptation gets its hook into us? And how can we pursue the kind of holiness that begins in the heart?
We’ll also look at how God says we should respond when someone who has hurt us falls and why spiritual gifts were never intended to make us feel important or superior to other believers.
We often talk about having a guilty conscience or a clear conscience, but how much do we really understand about what the conscience is and how it works?
Our consciences can make us uncomfortable when we’re doing something we believe is wrong. And sometimes we’d rather silence that discomfort than deal with what it’s telling us. In fact, our culture often encourages us to throw off old standards and simply do whatever feels right to us.
But God gave us a conscience as a mercy. It can warn us when we’re headed in the wrong direction and prompt us to examine our lives, repent, and change.
Yet, there’s something else we need to understand: our consciences aren’t infallible. They operate according to what we believe is right and wrong. That means a conscience can be poorly informed and needs to be continually brought into alignment with God’s Word.
So, can you trust your conscience? How do you know whether it’s guiding you according to God’s standard or your own? And how can you re-inform it with biblical truth?
We’ll also look at Paul’s warning about examining ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, why biblical self-examination is different from unhealthy introspection, and some practical questions that can help us evaluate how well we’re loving God and the people around us.
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