As I walked into the prayer room on my campus to write this blog, a song I’ve never heard began playing. The lyrics say “though the earth may try to satisfy my heart, though the earth may try to tell me You’re not faithful, though the earth may try to blind me from Your goodness, You shine through” and wow. I genuinely couldn’t believe how accurate these lyrics are to my life right now. The past few days my heart’s been struggling to accept the fact that this world is turning away from Jesus, the only One worthy to praise, with each passing day. The earth can seem so incredibly blinding to His goodness.

During work this afternoon, the Lord just shattered my heart and I began to cry out in repentance of this world who chooses to reject, mock, and deny Jesus every day. Man, that’s so heavy… Jesus knew that when He died, there were going to be those people who completely reject Him and spit in His face but He died anyway because His love for us triumphed the suffering that He would endure. Wow… What a Savior.

There’s such an urgent desperation for something greater and it’s up to us to show the world that there is something greater; His name is Jesus.

Slipping away from Jesus starts small. It starts with one act of disobedience. It starts with one “no, I don’t feel like it” or one “eh, I’ll do it another time.” It starts with one drink. It starts with one less piece of clothing. It starts with one click on a website you know you shouldn’t be on. It starts with one look at something you shouldn’t be looking at. It starts with allowing one thought stay in your mind longer than it should. It starts so, so small.

The second I woke up this morning, the enemy placed the thought of a sin in my life that I used to commit frequently. A sin that my flesh genuinely liked committing because it made me feel good. It distracted me from the pain and it was fun. The enemy showed me flashbacks of times where I missed opportunities to partake in that sin and literally had me thinking “man, I wish I would have done that when I had the chance,” even though it was completely destructive to every aspect of who I am. You guys, this is literally how small it starts. Just one thought of “man, I wish this is something that I can continue to partake in even though it’s utter disobedience to the Lord.”

This is why, as Christ followers, we have to be on the constant lookout and be discerning of spirits. The enemy knows every weakness in our lives and knows how to slowly trick us into disobedience by making something look good when in reality, it’s utterly destructive to our souls. But get this, the moment we were made new in Christ was the moment we gained the authority to tell sin to leave. We are no longer slaves to it. We’re no longer bound to it and it’s no longer bound to us. There’s an urgent desperation to break the chains of those in the world who are still enslaved.

You guys, we know the Mender of every broken soul. We know the Healer to every disease. We know the Chain Breaker who rescues those in bondage. We personally know the One who is all things to all people, so why aren’t we sharing Him like the earth depends on it?! Because it sure as heck does. Jesus gave us the privilege to share the good news in Mark 16:15, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” We should be taking this and running with it. I mean, if you were terminally ill and someone had the very medication to cure you forever, wouldn’t you want them to share it with you?

We need to ask the Lord for broken and burdened hearts for those who don’t know Him. There needs to be an urgency. It’s the only way. We can’t continue only telling people about Jesus when we’re comfortable, when the time is right, or when it’s not awkward. It’s the Lord’s desire for all the world to know Him and it should be yours too. We need to be people who do absolutely everything we can to shine His light; despite what it costs and despite how hard it may get.

God is still in the business of parting seas for us. God is still in the business of raising the dead back to life. God is still in the business of raining manna from Heaven for us. God is still in the business of protecting us while we’re in the fiery furnace. The same God that performed these miracles is the same God who is still alive and active today. He is the ultimate good news. He is alive. He is moving. He is redeeming. His only desire is to bring others into His goodness and I hope it’s yours too.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! / Psalm 34:8