Date posted: 09-30-2025
Estimated Reading Time : 9 Minutes
In July, we hosted our Summer Family Bible Conference here at Charis Bible College, and it was awesome! On the first night of the conference, the Lord laid it on my heart to share a critically important message concerning things to come.
I began by sharing that in 2021, God revealed to me that we are in the Third Great Awakening. As I’ve explained in the Truth & Liberty documentary Hope for the Future, there are unmistakable signs that we are seeing things turn around in this country, and good things, godly things, are beginning to happen. In the documentary, I shared how God showed me in 2023 that by the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, all this “wokeness” would be going away, and people who have been shaking their fists at God would be removed from their positions of authority.
These things are currently happening, but the Lord has also shown me that we are entering a time when there will be lots of problems in this nation. We have seen the ungodly gain a level of power and authority that they’ve never had before, and they’re not going to give it up without tremendous pushback.
Despite this reality, some Christians have gotten to a point where they think, Praise God! I can go back to not getting involved and not praying. In essence, it’s like they’re taking their foot off the gas pedal and just coasting.
But if we look at the First and Second Great Awakenings, it was not smooth sailing and singing a bunch of Kumbaya! Did you know that the First Great Awakening caused a revolution? The Second Great Awakening caused a civil war. We have yet to see what this Third Great Awakening will produce, but every single time the Spirit of God has moved, there has been tremendous opposition.
And the Lord has spoken to me about the coming persecution for Christians.
Now I’m not talking about the kind of persecution most people think of. Yes, believers are being arrested and killed for their faith in other parts of the world—and that’s tragic. But I’m talking about the subtle, internal persecution that many Christians face, especially in these last days.
Look at what Jesus said in Matthew 24. His disciples asked Him about the end of the world, and one of the first things He said was, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matt. 24:4). He warned about false Christs, wars, pestilences, earthquakes, and then He said something shocking—“Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matt 24:9). In the Greek, “all” means all. That includes the United States. When I was a kid growing up in Texas, Christianity was respected. Stores closed on Sundays. Football didn’t compete with church. But that’s not the case anymore. Now, standing for Christ means you might be canceled, ridiculed, or worse.
So how do you stay faithful when you’re surrounded by a culture that hates what you believe? The Apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1 that “in the last days perilous times shall come.” The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition states these will be “times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].” And The Living Bible says it like this, “You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian.”
It goes on to list nineteen signs of the times, and not one of them is physical persecution. Not one. They’re all internal heart issues: lovers of self, covetous, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, and more (2 Tim. 3:2-5).
Paul was beaten, stoned, and thrown into prison. He knew persecution. Yet he warned Timothy that the internal, moral decay of people’s hearts would be more dangerous to a believer’s faith than being thrown in jail. Why? Because it’s subtle. It creeps in quietly and appeals to the flesh.
The first thing Paul lists is that men will be lovers of themselves. That’s the root of every other issue. Loving yourself more than God and others opens the door to pride, greed, rebellion, and spiritual coldness. If you make yourself the center of your universe, you’re already on the road to compromise.
Staying faithful begins with humility. James 4:6 says, “God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble.” If you want God’s power flowing in your life—especially in difficult times—then humility is non-negotiable. That means recognizing that everything good in your life came from Him. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t produce it. You just received it.
Another key is gratitude. Colossians 2:7 tells us to be “rooted and built up in him … abounding … with thanksgiving.” A grateful heart keeps your focus on what God has done, not on what the world is doing. If you’re always looking at how bad things are, you’ll grow weary. But if you look at how good God is, you’ll be strengthened.
You must also “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15). God gives us “sufficiency in all things” so that we “may abound to every good work”—not build our own kingdoms here on earth. If you love the world, you’re more likely to compromise to keep it. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
The Bible is clear—there is a cost to faithfulness. Jesus said in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world … therefore the world hateth you.” The temptation will always be there to compromise on your convictions to avoid loss. But that’s not love. That’s fear.
During COVID, a male nurse came to me and said that God had told him not to get the vaccine. But his job was telling him he’d be fired if he didn’t take it. Now, to be clear, the issue I’m addressing is not if someone should or shouldn’t have taken the vaccine, but that God had told him not to. He was questioning whether he should obey God because he was afraid of losing his livelihood.
I would argue that what this guy experienced is a subtle and, in some ways, worse persecution than if someone were to tell you to renounce Christ or die. Most people would recognize the latter for the evil it is and be willing to die for their beliefs.
Yet some of these same people would compromise to hold onto their jobs. They will not speak out because it might cost them something.
Real love speaks the truth. Real love warns people of the consequences of sin. We don’t do that with a hateful spirit, but with boldness and clarity. When the culture demands your silence, you have to choose—will I fear man, or will I fear God?
You stay faithful by anchoring yourself in the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” In these end times, it’s not enough to attend church once a week. You need to know what God says, meditate on it, and let it govern your thoughts, words, and actions.
You also need the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples not to go anywhere until they received power from on high (Luke 24:49). Acts 1:8 says, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” That power gives you boldness, supernatural insight, and the ability to walk in love despite the circumstances.
Finally, you must die to yourself. Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” A dead man doesn’t get offended. A dead man doesn’t care about being liked. A dead man doesn’t need approval. If you’re going to make it in the last days, self must be crucified and Christ must be exalted in your life.
Revelation 12:11 says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” It goes on to say that the devil has been cast down to the earth, and he’s full of great anger because he knows his time is short (Rev. 12:12).
Here’s my question for you—are you going to stand, even if it might cost your life?
I think some believers in this nation will take a stand, and it will cost them everything. If you’re not prepared for that—if you’re not aware of what’s going on, seeking the Lord daily and building yourself up in His Word—you’ll drift into a passive position. And when the pressure comes, when someone comes out against you, you won’t be ready to stand.
I made my decision decades ago: if standing for the truth costs me my life, then so be it. I’m going to stand for what God’s Word says, and I’m going to do it in a way that honors Him. I’ll speak the truth in love to those who disagree with me. I’m not mad at them, but I am not going to back down from the truth, no matter the cost.
Even though we’re seeing some great things happen in our nation, perilous times are here, and they’re going to intensify for Christians. Unless you are completely sold out to Jesus and love not your life unto the death, you will compromise. Standing for the Lord is going to come with financial loss, social rejection, and maybe even physical persecution. That’s not fear-mongering, that’s reality. Jesus said we’d be hated by all nations for His name’s sake (Matt. 24:9). Denying the battle doesn’t change the fact that we’re in one; it just means you’ll lose because you weren’t prepared.
So I want to encourage you—don’t fall for the subtle lies of the enemy. Don’t get caught up in self-centeredness or the culture of compromise. Stay rooted in the Word. Stay filled with the Spirit. Stay humble and be thankful. And above all, love God and others more than you love yourself.
The truth is that persecution isn’t coming—it’s already here. But you don’t have to fear. “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). You don’t have to shrink back. God has called you to stand, and He will give you the grace to do it.
Amen.
Andrew Wommack