No Matter What....You Hold On!

I recently gave a word to a friend, and the word I felt God wanted me to say to them was "hold on". I didn't here these words as you would typically think when you here the words hold on. Like a person at the end of their rope and the only choice that have is to hold on or let go. A desperate person who feels like they are inches away from letting go and losing it all. No, instead I heard these words like "hold on to everything you know". Hold on to God's love. Hold on to God's truth. Hold on to God's promises. Hold on to God's blessings. Hold on to God's Word. Hold on to God's grace. Hold on to God's mercy....and hold on to God's precious gift, Jesus.
We live in a world right now where it seems like people don't have anything to hold on to. Our country is on a slippery slope of changes. Something even as little as 10 years ago that seemed to be a big deal isn't so much of a big deal now. We have loosened our morals to the point that you don't know what your going to hear or see in a TV show or movie anymore, and You really have no idea what you may see walking down the street. Things that used to be a reason to get arrested are just a ticket now (like certain drugs). And even things that would have been completely unacceptable in the church is now being accepted...or at least tolerated. What does all of this mean for those who follow Jesus? Does it mean that we are to "loosen up" too, and begin to accept or tolerate more? Does it mean we are allowed to "loosen up" and act more like the world, just maybe not quite as bad? Does it mean that since everyone else is accepting and tolerating more, then God must be too? NO! I have stood on this word for other topics before and I will stand on it again. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus IS the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the same. Never changing. Never changing in His ways. Never changing in the things He accepts. Never changing in the things that are considered sin. Never changing in His forgiveness....and never changing it what it takes to accept His gift, turn from your ways and live a life for Him. Never changing from the way He taught it to 12 men in the bible a couple thousand years ago...to the way it should be taught today.
People around you may change. They may change what they are willing to accept, and they may change what they even say they believe. But what you have is between you and God, and you need to hold on to it. It is the one thing that no matter what, it can not be taken from you. It is YOUR relationship with Jesus Christ and it is personal. So HOLD ON to it!
I have 6 passages I want to leave you with when you can feel the enemy trying to close things in around you. When you can feel him applying pressure to you and your even watching people around you give up. Even though these are 6 separate passages from the bible, I am going to build them into one statement that you can take with you and use when you know the enemy is trying to work on you.
Use this to remind yourself how and why you hold on!
Hebrews 13:8-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, James 4:7, Ephesians 6:12, Romans 12:12 and Romans 15:13

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods (or things of this world) which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. So test everything, and hold fast what is good. Then, abstain from every form of evil and submit yourself to God. Resist the devil, and he has no choice but to flee from you. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. BUT, we can rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. Knowing that the God of hope WILL fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

God, Thank You that YOU are our Hope. And even when the world around us is in constant change, YOU are the foundation we stand upon. In Jesus name, Amen.