How to Keep Faith During Perilous Times

 by Gregory A. Johnson

We are living in perilous times. Inflation is on the rise, making it harder on those already financially challenged. The frequency and severity of natural disasters are increasing rapidly. Years into the Covid pandemic, hundreds of people still die of the disease every day. 

We are at the brink of World War III with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Maybe the invasion of Ukraine and the killings of innocent civilians, including children, indicate WW III has already started. It is hard to see how this ruthless attack on innocent people ends well. Our prayers are with the people of Ukraine. 

Adding all this to the struggles you are going through can make it hard to keep the faith that brings supernatural life and hope.

Jesus said it would be like this in the last days, which began at his crucifixion and has escalated to our day. Jesus warned that in these days, some faithful followers — “if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24 ESV) — will fall away.

How do we keep the faith that brings us supernatural life and hope in these perilous times? Consider Jesus. God’s word to us today is “…consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.” (Hebrews 3:1 ESV).

Christian or Christ-Follower?

by Gregory A. Johnson

I feel compelled to bring clarity to the confusion existing that is hindering Jesus' purpose for the church and its witness in our day. In the post-Christian culture we now live in, many are confused about being a Christian and being a  Christ-follower. There is a vast difference between the two.

There are Christians who do not follow Christ, and there are Christians who choose to follow Christ. Sadly, non-Christ-following Christians can do much damage to people inside and outside the church through their words and actions. 

In all my years of ministry, it has always been a joy to pastor Christ-following Christians. Still, I have discovered non-Christ-following Christians to be abusive in their words and actions, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the church to reach and make a difference in its community. 

How to Live Free From Fear

by Gregory A. Johnson

Many in our day live in total control of their lives but when something is shaken, their confidence quickly turns to fear. Jesus describes the day in which we live. He says, "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26 ESV).

What are we to do? We are to look to Jesus. The night before Christ died on the cross for our sins, he showed us how to live free from fear. He was facing a horrendous death by crucifixion. The next day he would be tortured to death. What does he do? He goes to a garden to pray. Jesus prays, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42 ESV).

In the last hours before the cross, Jesus prays, releasing his will over to the Father. Christ faced the cross without fear, placing his life in God’s care, trusting God for the resurrection to come.

The next day, tortured and hanging nailed to the cross, Jesus gives his life for the sins of the world. “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46 ESV).

Racism and Hate Are Antichrist

by Gregory A. Johnson

Racism and hatred are alive and well, but not for those who are citizens of the Kingdom. No, you see, the citizens of the Kingdom love God with everything they have, and they love other people as they love themselves. They are willing to give their life for others as Christ did. They are willing to go to jail protesting unjust laws that do not treat people equally, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did.

What would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. say to us today? I think that he would say to us the same things he said in his day. Listen to what he had to say:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation (King 1963).

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true (King 1963).

Evil Does Not Win

by Gregory A. Johnson

We are reminded daily of how evil destroys lives. As a result, many live in fear instead of faith. Fear says that evil wins. Faith knows that evil never wins.

Please know today that if you have fear in your life, it is not of God. God does not want you to live in fear. Evil wants you to live in fear.

Fear comes when our focus is no longer on Jesus and following him. When a person is living in fear, they lose sight that the best in their life is yet to come.

The next time evil comes knocking and fear starts to take over your thoughts, stop it. Just, stop it. Refuse to go there. Instead of giving it any energy, thank God for all he has done for you, all he is doing for you, and all he will do for you. You are his child created in his image, and he loves you.

Three Words That Melt the Heart

by Gregory A. Johnson


My wife, Becky, and I have been married for over thirty-nine years, and my heart still melts at three words she says to me: “I love you.” She does more than tell me that she loves me; she shows me her love for me through her actions — she is a woman of faith, full of wisdom, a hard worker, a wonderful mother to our children, a marvelous cook, and a meticulous housekeeper. I’m a blessed man.

I have three words for you today — you are loved. Jesus loves you so much that He died for you on an old, rugged cross. He desires to be your strength today and always.

How to Stay Strong and Courageous in a World Full of Fear

by Gregory A. Johnson

There is much fear in the world today. There is no safe place to live. Terror, the fruit of terrorism, grows and ripens daily. There are wars and rumors of wars. Natural disasters are frequent, intense, and brutal. Drought, famine, and disease are widespread. Pandemic viruses know no boundaries. As we live as sojourners in a world that grows increasingly out of step with the Gospel, I encourage you to be strong and courageous.

In the first chapter of Joshua in God’s Word, God is getting ready to take Joshua, and the people of Israel, on a journey out of the wilderness that they were in for forty years, delivering them to the Promised Land. It won’t be easy. They will face a lot of obstacles on the journey, but God tells Joshua repeatedly to be strong and courageous.

Likewise, Christ’s followers are on a journey. On our journey, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). Jesus is taking us out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land; it is a journey from earth to glory. We will face a lot of obstacles along the way, but Jesus encourages us to be strong and courageous.

In the midst of all that is going on in the world and in our lives, how do we stay strong and courageous? Allow me to share the two ways that are revealed to us in the first chapter of Joshua.

A Picture of the Throne of God

by Gregory A. Johnson

Have you ever wondered what the throne of God will look like? God's word gives us a vivid picture of it. There is a sea of people so grand in number that they cannot be counted. Every nationality and every language is represented (Revelation 7:9, NIV).

The position of those around the throne is significant. God and Jesus are in the center, and a sea of people is surrounding them. Angels are surrounding the sea of people. The sea of people, all in white robes are in the inner circle, and the angels are in the outer circle. The angels were created to serve God, but they were never redeemed. There is no need to redeem them because they have not sinned. The inner circle is saved for the redeemed—the ones in white robes. They have been bought back from a life of sin. The purchase price was costly; it was through the blood of God’s own son.

Are We Living in the Last Days?

by Gregory A. Johnson


There is more of an infatuation with the end of days than in any other time that I can recall in my lifetime. Movies have been made, books written, and predictions made. Survivalists or doomsday preppers are building bomb shelters, stockpiling food, water, guns, and ammunition while buying up silver and gold. Are we living in the last days?

The last days began with Jesus coming into our world and was accelerated at the cross of Christ when these three powerful words, “it is finished,” were uttered from the parched lips of our tortured and dying Savior.

Throughout the years, many have predicted the return of Christ for his followers. These dates have come and gone, but the truth of Jesus’ return remains. Each time a prediction is made with the date passing, some are swayed into believing that it is nothing more than a myth, but it is not a myth; it is truth and will occur at God’s beckoning, which will not be in response to his creation’s predictions. God will not consult with anyone.

The Cross and the Empty Tomb

by Gregory A. Johnson

Not just during the Easter season, but each day, we are confronted with the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. What do they mean? Why are they so significant?

In the 1800's Ralph E. Hudson wrote the chorus to the sacred hymn, At the Cross: "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!"

• At the cross, we realize how much God loves us (Romans 5:8).  
• At the cross, we are justified and saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9).  
• At the cross, we are reconciled to God (Romans 5:10). 
• At the cross, we experience forgiveness of sins (Luke 23:34).