Romans 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

This second half of the chapter is such an accurate description of a major part of society today that it ought to give anyone pause. However, this verse specifically is so accurate that even a former president, reliably reported as having indulged in such things, explicitly called out “some obscure verses in Romans” as teaching that should be ignored today. What is different about perversion today, as compared to a few generations back, is not the nature of the perversion itself, but of the strong, vocal insistence that such perversion be accepted as normal, even normative, and the vigorous push into elementary and even preschool school systems. It has been slow coming, but thankfully there is now strong and growing pushback against that, and society is in turmoil because of it. When you add that battle to the military battles that are occurring in Ukraine and Israel, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of Christians are convinced that these are the Last Days, with Christ’s return for judgment just around the corner. I can’t say that I disagree with that assessment, but the danger for believers is in thinking there is nothing we can do or should do to correct the current situation. That thinking is a lie of the devil! We are to stand for righteousness on behalf of our children and neighbors, countering the devil’s lies with the truth of God. Nothing happening now is actually new; a knowledge of history is vital for perspective. After all, Paul was writing to the situation in the world as it was 2000 years ago! We need to remember and apply the words of James: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) That doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble, as Jesus explicitly told us, (John 16:33) or that we might even be martyred, as Paul himself experienced. However, it does mean that the end result of it all will be glorious for us, as Paul noted. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) The devil tries to block us with fear of temporal troubles, but we need to push forward with anticipation of eternal glory.

This of course applies to me as it does to every believer, but the devil’s pressures aren’t equally distributed in the earth. The devil figures he has Japan in his pocket, so he hasn’t attacked here in the same way he has in the US. However, I can certainly see that “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12) I’m not to let my feeling of End Times distract me from daily, active faithfulness toward my Lord. I’ve had friends who were so concerned about where we might be on this timeline or that, that they couldn’t see or apply themselves to the tasks the Lord had set before them. That again is a deception of the devil, and I’m to be aware of it and stand against it. The world is indeed a mess, but as the song based on Revelation 2 and 3 says, “He who overcomes will stand.” I am to be so familiar with God and His Word that I immediately recognize and resist everything that is not of Him, and leave the consequences up to Him.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. It is stronger than I expected, though I knew what this chapter held. Help me indeed listen accurately and obediently to You in all things, so that Your will may be done in and through me for the blessing of many, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!