…and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. (1 John 4:3, NASB)
I have gone back and forth over the years in my response to the question, “Are you a golfer?” When I was in high school, being a three-sport athlete, I would tell people “I am an athlete who plays golf.” In college, I hardly ever played. In my 20s I was a solid amateur player and eventually turned professional. So then I was “a professional golfer.”
After starting a family, I felt guilty going to the golf course on the weekends and started only entering the occasional tournament, mainly playing to build relationships or grow our ministry. Next, I dropped my country club membership because I realized my average round of golf would be cheaper at Pebble Beach. Eventually, I had to practically quit playing the game all together due to physical ailments.
Now when asked, I just claim, “I used to be!” In all honesty, I have been a golfer since I was about six years old and will always be.
Ironically, that is the same age that I placed my faith in Jesus. At that moment, I understood a simple truth of the new covenant God made with us through Jesus (that follows today’s verse): “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The spirit of the antichrist wants… to move our eyes from Jesus to instead place our faith in worldly systems.The one who is “in the world” is referred to here as the spirit of the antichrist. This antichrist is waging a war against those of us who have put our faith in Jesus. However, it is times like this where we need to be reminded that we belong to God and are in his plans. That is hard to do when every news story is seemingly written to frighten us about COVID-19 and a collapsing economy. The spirit of the antichrist wants to make us feel as if the world is spiraling out of control. He wants to move our eyes from Jesus to instead place our faith in worldly systems.
This enemy of God uses many tactics to create fear and doubt in our minds. Jesus described the times that will lead up to the end of this age and the arrival of the antichrist described in detail in the book of Revelation. I do not know how far around the corner that is; however, we are witnessing things associated the first signs of what is coming.
Jesus said, “See to it that you are not misled. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately. Then He continued by saying to them, Nation will rise against nation, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” And then after an increased persecution of believers begins to happen, Jesus says, “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony” (Luke 21:8-13).
Might worse plagues come than COVID-19? Possibly. May we see even more wars and natural disasters in this century than the last? I sure hope not. Nonetheless, we should view times of a global health crisis, famine, and economic disaster as tests of our faith and preparation for what is to come. Scripture reminds us that even out of chaos, God’s plan for his kingdom will be fulfilled.
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Josh Nelson
May 18, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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