If you haven't already noticed, our world is slowly pulling closer and closer to the "dark side", to the end times. There are hostile groups out there that existed since the 20th century, crime, immorality... the list goes on. What I have been seeing nowadays in this world is a lot of people that are taking lives out of pure hatred. We see so much of it on the news: Columbine, Virginia Tech, what went down in Charleston, and so much more. When you think about it, it is insane how much shootings you see in our nation.

Now, I never thought about writing about this, but what recently sparked my interest is what happened in Oregon this week. A gunman opened fire at a community college, killing several people in his wake. What really shocked me was the fact that he reportedly asked people if they believed in God, and shot them on the spot if they said yes. I know that this has happened before, such as it was rumored to be in Columbine. It just pains me to see not just innocent lives being taken from a lost, dark individual, but a Christ follower losing his/her life for not denying his love for the Lord in the face of death.

I was reading the last chapter in 1 Peter today, and it inspired me to write about this. I was just doing my daily reading, when I stumbled upon this verse, which says,

This verse really stood out to me because we as Christ followers have the tendency to think that everything is fine and dandy, that everything is perfect. Yes, Christ provides a head of protection over us, but, just as he tested Peter, he will test you to see how deep your love is for him. What actually is coming to mind as I write this is Pastor Saeed. He is a missionary who was arrested by the Iranian government for "charges of undermining national security gatherings in Christian homes in Iran"(1). He is just a follower of His word, doing the great work, and was arrested for it. Right now, he is sitting in prison for trying to help bring more people to Christ, trying to show how wonderful our Lord and Savior is. He is just an example of how Christ followers all over the world are being slandered. We see countries slaughtering people who convert over to Christianity, imprisoning them like Pastor Saeed, and they show no mercy. 

In regards to the Oregon shooting, those victims were just standing firm in the midst of trial, standing firm in their faith, just as it talks about in 1 Peter 5. I feel as though we Christians say that we will never deny him, but we need to really stand firm in our relationship with Christ. Peter said he would never deny Jesus, and when he was bombarded with questions asking him if he was one of Jesus' disciples, he denied Jesus three times. We as Christ followers should never forget what Jesus did for us on that cross, and that he paid the ultimate price for us. 

No one said that being a follower of Christ was going to be a walk in the park. It is going to be a tough journey, with people everyday slandering the name of Jesus, with all of the temptations and peer pressures we face in life. Remember, the devil is only here for three things: to kill, steal, and destroy. He is using these lost people's lives for his work. There will come a day that we have to answer to those people, to answer the question, "Do you believe in God". What will you say when that day comes, the day that your faith is tested? My prayer is that we stand firm in our faith, and answer that question with the boldest "yes" we will ever say. Don't forget the ultimate price that was paid for us, and always remember that, 

Yours truly,

Leighan