“[Jesus] did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). Unbelief always hinders the fullness of God’s revelation and blessing and Scripture makes it clear that God does not take it lightly. He gives us an example of this in the story of King Asa, a righteous king and descendant of David who ruled over Judah (read the account in 2 Chronicles 14 through 16).

Many voices in the church today say Christians must show a new kind of love. They are talking about a love in which biblical truth must bend with the times. According to their gospel, no personal changes are necessary when one accepts Christ. Indeed, no repentance is needed. Rather, the goal in presenting this gospel is simply to break down any barrier that could be considered a stumbling block to a person’s acceptance of Christ.

Jesus said he came to seek out and save the lost. This was the same One who had power to subdue the very winds and waves, yet he came as a humble servant. The gospels tell us he listened patiently to people’s heartbreaking cries. Multitudes pleaded with Christ to deliver them from their afflictions and he met their needs. He healed the sick, opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, loosed tied tongues, and made cripples to walk. Jesus set captives free from every form of bondage — he even raised the dead.

When our fear becomes overwhelming, we must remind ourselves of how great our God is. We need to recall all his great deliverances for those who have trusted in him, and claim the same majestic power for our present trial. Fear cannot get a stranglehold on any servant who has a vision of God’s greatness and majesty.

One verse of God’s Word will keep you through any and all perilous times if you will commit your very life to it. Beloved, embrace this one verse, fully believe it, and it will be a daily power-source of faith:

            “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You … In the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You” (Isaiah 26:3, 8).

When you are facing challenging days, Satan wants to rob you of all hope by consuming you with foreboding thoughts. You can get bogged down in fear if you obsess about uncertain times or waste time trying to figure out the future.

Gethsemane was the garden where Jesus went to pray when his trial became crushing and his cup overwhelmed him. It was where he wept out his deepest sorrows before the Father. And it was also where he won the battle over every evil principality and power.

Some Christians today say, “Ours is not a generation of tears. We have been called to celebrate and commanded to take everything by faith. We can speak the Word and every mountain will be moved. We are to simply meditate on God’s goodness.” Such is the posture of the prosperous modern church.

The prophet Isaiah warns us that in the last days God is going to “turn the world upside down.” He declares, “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down” (Isaiah 24:1, KJV). According to this prophecy, sudden judgment is coming upon the earth and it will change everything within a short span of time. Humanity will witness fast-falling destruction upon a city and a nation, and the world will never be the same.

In the last days of his ministry, Jesus was spending time with his disciples, preparing them to become the pillars of his future church. They were still “slow to believe,” men of little faith, and Jesus had chided them for their unbelief at times. He saw that there was a hindrance in their hearts that needed to be removed or they would never come into the revelation necessary to lead the church.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4). Jesus is speaking here of a sheep that has been in the fold. Clearly, this represents a member of Christ’s flock, one that has been well fed and led by a loving shepherd. Yet this sheep had become lost so the shepherd has gone out looking for it.