On his way to Jerusalem, the apostle Paul made a stop at Ephesus where he called for a special meeting of all the leaders of the church. He told those Ephesian believers solemnly, “This is the last time I’ll see you and this will be my final message to you” (see Acts 20:25).

In his last message to the Ephesians, Paul told them, in essence, “I’ve been with you before and you know what I stand for. I have served you with humility and tears. I’ve preached in your church and from house to house — all under great trials and persecution. And I have kept nothing back from you.”

Then, with tears, he gave them this sober warning, “For three years now I’ve warned you night and day about what I see coming to the church after I’m gone. Now I want you to hear this warning one more time” (see 20:31).

What did Paul see coming? In short, his warnings were not about the chaos going on outside the church doors, but he was grieved over what he saw coming to God’s house. He warned the Ephesians about what was coming upon the ministry, upon shepherds, in particular, at the hands of deceivers who would flood into the church.

“The Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (20:28). In other words, “Bishops, overseers, leaders, feed your flocks and fill them with God’s pure Word. Savage wolves and deceivers are coming and they’re going to take aim at the weak sheep.” Paul’s deep heart-cry was, “Pastors, take heed. Be on guard for yourselves and for your people.”

Paul stated to these men, “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (20:27). What is the whole counsel of God? In short, it includes the tough subjects of Scripture, not just the blessings. It includes the message of godly sorrow over sin, of repentance, of taking up your cross, of self-denial and sacrifice, and separation from the world.

Beloved, as one of the sheep, be sure that you are sitting under the ministry of a true shepherd, not one who just wants to make you feel good. Purpose in your heart to be a servant of God who is fearless, holy and fully prepared be a part of the body of overcomers that rises up in the end times.

A precious missionary wrote to our ministry about quitting his post. He explained, “I felt as if God had brought me into a wilderness and then left me twisting in the wind. I left the ministry in utter dismay and became bitter. I now see what my problem was. I didn’t put down any roots of trust during my testing time. When the trials came, I didn’t rely on what I knew of God’s Word and his faithfulness. I forgot his promise that he would never fail me.”

In Jeremiah 20:14 and18, the prophet let loose with a tirade that sounds near-suicidal: “Cursed be the day in which I was born! … Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?”

Maybe right now you feel as they all did. You’ve been twisted and contorted by the enemy and you think, “I’ve cried out day and night but my prayers haven’t been answered. I can’t go on anymore.” Some Christians may say this is talk against the Lord and calls for a stern rebuke, but the truth is, we are able to consider only the outward man. God sees the heart! He knew Jeremiah’s inward parts and he chose not to rebuke the despairing prophet.

It was as if God said, “Jeremiah won’t quit! Yes, he’ll let off steam as he vents his confusion but he still believes my Word. It’s burning in his soul and he is going to come out of this fire with a faith that can’t be shaken. His best days are ahead of him.”

“His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back and I could not [quit]” (Jeremiah 20:9).

Jeremiah did get a second wind and suddenly he was filled with new life. He rose up as if to say, “Hold on, Satan! You can’t deceive me. The Lord called me and I know his Word is sure.” “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

That dear missionary got hold of this truth and you can, too! Whatever your specific battle is, let God’s Word speak to your heart today and bring you healing and courage.

The enemy comes roaring like a flood against saints who have no part in darkness. Satan can make it seem as if everything in their lives is coming apart: their prayers seem hindered, heaven seems as brass, and they suffer afflictions on all sides. At such times their heart might whisper condemnation: “You lack faith. If you only believed more righteously — if you were closer to Jesus, if your thoughts weren’t so evil — none of this would be happening to you. You would be on top, like those you see around you. You would enjoy abundance and hear clearly from God.”

Not so! Those referred to in Hebrews 10 who were under attack had a genuine faith that made them “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). Indeed, they are addressed in this epistle as “holy brethren” in Hebrews 3:1. The writer knows there is a war for their hearts in the midst of great affliction.

Simply put, Satan’s main objective is to douse a believer’s light, to dim it or shut it off completely. Show me a Christian who suddenly comes out of spiritual darkness, bursting into the light of Christ and His holiness and purity, and I’ll show you one who is in for the fight of his life.

Does this describe you? Are you enduring a great fight right now? Beloved, it is most likely not because of doubt or sin, but because of the light you have embraced. Light produces confidence in Jesus, and the more light you receive, the greater your trust in Him.

It is your confidence in Christ that Satan is determined to shipwreck. He has aimed the powers of hell at you to drag you down in fear and unbelief. But even now God is taking a great interest in every matter touching your life: job, family, children, relationships, health. It is truly His concern; you matter greatly to Him.

Teachings about divine authority — God’s power — abound in the church today. When I hear such discourse, I immediately think of Elijah. This prophet lived in a period much like ours, one marked by spiritual decline, when honoring God was at an all-time low.

Elijah’s life illustrates the divine authority God wants to endow us with, especially in these times. There was strife in Israel in Elijah’s time, with God’s people divided into two kingdoms — Samaria in the north and Judah in the south. The Samaritans’ faith became corrupted because they allowed other religions to mix with Judaism. Ahab, the noted king behind all this, took God’s ways lightly: “As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:31).

Under Ahab’s rule, the people sinned freely and felt no conviction over it. The Bible says Ahab committed more evil than any king of Israel up to that time. “And Ahab … did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30).

We are also living in a time of great spiritual decline. It is happening because Satan knows his time is short — and he is using every weapon possible to chip away at divine authority, not merely in cultural expressions but in the heart of every Christian.

In this time of great compromise in the nation and in the church, you may wonder how you can have an effect on the world around you. But do not forget who you are in Christ! It does not matter what your background is, who your parents are, what sort of degrees you may have. God has a role for each one to play in this darkening generation. You have been called to bring hope and life to the lost and doubting, especially in this hour.

Elijah was an ordinary man who accomplished supernatural works of God (see James 5:17-18). He was already qualified to do what God asked of him because he had a history with his Father. Likewise, devote yourself to a quiet and diligent pursuit of God in order that you will be ready when he calls you to step forward and join his army to bring about change in these last days.

Jesus’ church is a place where sinners repent of sins, with their heart and their mouth. Indeed, the apostle Paul attests: “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8-10).

Simply put, we are brought to salvation through our open confession of repentance. Jesus states, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). And, he says, repentance is how we’re healed and restored: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

Beloved, this is good news! Jesus is telling us, “In my church, everyone is healed through repentance. It doesn’t matter who you are — the physically broken, the mentally ill, the spiritually sick. Everyone must come to me the same way and all find healing.”

Repentance was at the heart of the very first sermon after Christ’s resurrection when Peter told the crowds gathered at Pentecost: “Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you … you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (Acts 2:22-23). When the people heard this, they fell under powerful conviction. The preached Word pricked their hearts, because the Holy Spirit had come in all his power. And according to Jesus, that’s precisely the Spirit’s work. He said the Holy Spirit comes to “convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).

The crowds were so stirred when they heard this that they couldn’t move. Suddenly, before them were the very issues of life and death. When they cried out to Peter and asked what they should do, he answered, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins … Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:38, 40).

As Christians, you should be immensely grateful for the presence of the Holy Spirit as you allow him to do his true work in you. Jesus wants you to walk in his peace as you live out repentance.