A challenge we all face is to be cheerful and optimistic while watching the malaise of our day surround us. I want to encourage you to an optimistic view of the future. John wrote what he saw in the book of the Revelation. In Rev. 21:3 he wrote,

Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people.

That’s our focus.

If we become inordinately pessimistic, we become defensive in our thoughts and hearts. And it causes us to shrink back instead of becoming bold in proclaiming and living the gospel.

Our challenges are daunting. However, we are far from the first generation to face difficulty. We look back at history and realize there was no Golden Era. In Ecclesiastes 7:11 Solomon wrote,

Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

The malaise of the day may surround us but we stand together in living for Jesus. Trevin Wax wrote,

One of the ways we equip believers to bear the stigma of standing for Christ is by doing so together, as the family of God. It’s one thing to be alone, taking a stand. It’s another thing to know that your church is behind you, a great cloud of witnesses is above you, and a global remnant of faithful believers is around you.

Be faithful. Grow spiritually. Pray humbly. Break old habits (repentance). Develop rhythms of life to help you grow spiritually. Don’t give up, give in, or roll over. God is sovereign and we win. All that is happening right now is God’s perfect will. In the end, He will be vindicated. And the Bible teaches us that we are co-heirs with Christ. We will worship Christ and serve Christ but we are co-heirs WITH Christ!