"The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer."
-1 Peter 4:7
I am a firm believer that Jesus is coming back. That time is drawing closer with each day that goes by. The Bible is clear that in the last days, there will be quite a bit of chaos. In addition to the increase of wars and natural disasters, people will fall away from their faith and many will be led astray by false doctrines and teachings.
As Christians, it is vital that we really know the Word of God and use the wisdom and discernment that He provides to us.
When Peter tells us to use sound judgment, the Greek word used is Sophroneo, and it means to be self-controlled, moderate as to opinion or passion. When things get tough, we need to do our best to not give in to assumptions, opinions, or even emotions, but to be grounded in God's truth. We all know that we can't believe everything that is told to us via media, so this is where the importance of knowing Scripture comes in. By knowing God's Word, we always have something to compare and judge things against. Even beyond that, there is so much invaluable WISDOM throughout the Bible.
Secondly, Peter tells us to be sober in spirit, and in the Greek that means to be calm and collected in spirit. When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, God gives you the Holy Spirit...a guide, instructor, and helper. When there is chaos surrounding us, we must not react, but instead take the Word of God and the wisdom He gives us, and use that together with the Holy Spirit to respond the way He leads us to. Using DISCERNMENT.
I am so thankful for the tools that God gives us to navigate life. I am thankful that in the midst of all the craziness and chaos that this world can bring, God is always there, that He is steadfast, and that He will never leave me.
