Many Christians, including me, can sense that we are living in serious times. Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:12), and again He said, “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20). He warned us to be ready because “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). Whether His return is near or farther away than we think, our hearts must stay prepared. The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but His Word also reminds us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief (2 Peter 3:9–10). This is not the time to play with faith, drift through life, or follow every voice we hear. This is the time to pray, watch, stand firm, and take real steps of faith.
One step of faith is praying for the Spirit of truth to guide us. Jesus said the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). We need Him because the world is full of opinions, voices, trends, and teachings. Some things sound good, but not everything that sounds spiritual is from God. The Bible tells us not to be like children, tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching (Ephesians 4:14). We need the Holy Spirit to help us know what is true, what is false, what is precious, and what is worthless.
Another step of faith is walking in unity with the Body of Christ. God calls us to be one in Christ, growing together in love and truth (Ephesians 4:1–6, 15–16). Unity does not mean we ignore truth. It means we follow Jesus together with humility, patience, love, and obedience. As we grow spiritually, we become less easily shaken by trouble and less easily pulled away by clever lies. Spiritual maturity helps us stand firm when life gets hard and when deception tries to sneak in.
We must also learn to separate the precious from the vile. In simple words, this means we must learn the difference between what honors God and what pulls us away from Him. We must know the difference between truth and fables, sound doctrine and pleasing lies, holy conviction and empty talk. Jeremiah 15:19 says, “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth.” God told Jeremiah to influence the people, but not to let them influence him away from the Lord. That is a word for us too. We are called to shine for Christ in the world, but we must not let the world pull our hearts away from Christ.
The Bible also warns that a time will come when people will not endure sound teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who say what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3–4). We should ask ourselves honestly: are we living in that kind of time? And even more personally: do I want truth, or do I only want comfort? Do I want God to correct me, or do I only want messages that agree with me? Real faith does not run from truth. Real faith receives correction, turns back to God, and keeps following Jesus.
The Lord gives us a clear path: return to Him, and He will restore us. Speak what is good, true, and worthy instead of what is empty and worthless. Be His voice in a dark world. Jesus said His followers are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14–16). We are called to influence others for Christ, but not to let the world influence us away from Him. We need clean hearts, steady minds, and willing spirits so we can serve Him faithfully.
Steps of faith are not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes they are simple choices: pray for truth, stay in the Word, walk in unity, reject false teaching, remain humble, and keep your eyes on Jesus. The Lord Himself will return, and believers will meet Him when He comes (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). Let us be found faithful, steady, mature, and ready. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Minister A Francine Green, October 2026