Rev. George Evans
Pastor’s Corner
In this series of messages to jump-start us in this brand new year, it is imperative that we start out right. As the saying goes, “If we start outright, we can finish right.”
This is not the time to make New Year’s resolutions that we know that we are not going to keep. But it is a time to grab hold to something solid, something with substance, something with a foundation on which we can survive, stay above water, walk through the fire and not be burned in the new year.
Understanding that the world is in a terrible place, and only prayer can change that; mankind is in a terrible place; the heart of man is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9)” … and yes, our country is in an upheaval, and has been for the last 9 months; as preacher prophet I have said before that depression, discouragement, anger, frustration, unemployment is fermenting the atmosphere of our country; many people have lost their vitality; some their will to live; some are at one another’s throats; domestic violence, child abuse; consumed by everything that is going on that light which once flickered so bright has lost its flicker; fear, confusion and closed churches or not being able to attend church has caused people to be tensed, edgy and stressed; and the invisible one, our adversary Satan sees this as an opportunity to devour the Christian believer (1 Pet. 5:8), destroy our beloved country, wreak havoc and divide us all; for he do know that if he can divide that he can conquer; and that’s in anything, marriages, homes, friendships, schools and churches.
Jesus himself said, “A house divided against itself will not stand (Matt. 12:25)” … and I will say, “any country divided against itself will not stand” … too bad our government officials both Democrats and Republicans don’t see this; and then those that don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior is lost, wandering around like sheep without a shepherd.
Negativity is everywhere and the truth of the matter is, if you participate, congregate, listen and watch negativity long enough, it can have a negative impact, a negative influence on you; as a preacher I can truly say that journalism in our country is dead; the days of Walter Cronkite is long gone.
Somebody said on television recently that 90% of the mainstream media news is negative, and if you sit there and watch it all day long it will invade your spirit; have you edgy, irritable, ill, angry, afraid, confused and discouraged and you won’t even know why.
Friends, we become what we watch. We need to watch just long enough to stay informed and that’s all; and the longer this thing lasts the far left more people are going to go.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We do not have to be victims. We can still be joyful, maintain, hold on to our integrity and still have the PEACE of God in the midst of it all (Phil. 4:6,7). But we must “hold the line in 2021!” Makes no difference what nobody else does; how nobody else acts; don’t let their fear become your fear; don’t let their anger become your anger; don’t let their hatred become your hatred; don’t let their attitude be your attitude; and don’t let their distractions be your distraction.
To hold something means to take ownership of it; it means to get a tight grip; it means to hold the fort; to anchor down in the word of God and stand on it; to develop an “I’m going to make it” attitude.”
“Hold the line” … don’t lose perspective of who we are, and who God is. He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). He never changes; it also means to let go of the past and don’t look back; because somebody knows that if you are looking back while walking forward you are subject to stumble.
Community, we are in a brand new year, 2021. This message is preparation for the coming year — here it is; get a grip, a good grip on the word of God, and hold the line! We need to “hold the line” because we know who’s holding us; the Bible says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (Heb. 10:23).”
The term “hold fast” mean “To stay strong, do what is right, see it through, no surrender, stay true, continue to believe, this too shall pass, grit it out, stay the course.” It also means hold on to your faith; and your faith is based on the fact that God has been faithful. Look at His track record; look at His resume; and then do a flashback — somebody can say “He held me through surgery; I made it” … somebody else can say, “He held me through chemo; I made it! He held me through cancer; I’m still here! He’s never failed us yet.”
See, we ought to be like a shark in the water; the shark is the only sea animal that cannot swim backward, he has to constantly move forward! That’s the way we ought to be, constantly moving forward. Paul said, “Forgetting the things behind me, I’m reaching forth unto those things which are in front of me (Phil. 3:13).”
Community, why do we think the rear-view mirror in our cars is so small, and the window in the front is so large? It’s because where we are going is more important than where we’ve been! My community friends, let us “hold the line in 2021.”
The Rev. George Ellis is the pastor for Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church.