1 Corinthians 7, among other things, encourages us not to get too attached to this world because, as Paul says in verse 31, the present form of this world is passing away.

If we are learning anything from our present time it should be this: That whatever God has established is unshakable, good, and on a solid foundation.

Whatever the world has tried to establish is true foolishness built upon sinking sand. What I see going on today is the world in its present form passing away.

Our world has been built upon a foundation of ungodliness, but ungodliness has never been a foundation that is capable. It has never been solid. It could never withstand all creation crying out for the redemption of the Lord. It could never withstand the results it produces. It is corrupt, and corruption always breeds more corruption.

When my computer tells me that a file is corrupted, whatever programs that are dependent on that file, or associated with it, will never work correctly until the corrupted file has been corrected.

We are seeing, in real time, the great correction of a corrupted world that was always destined to pass away. We are seeing it in the people around us, our government, our economies, and whatever else is operating under the powers and principalities of this world. The very same ones that were present in Paul's time.

This should bring us great hope. This should get us motivated. There should be a stirring in your stomach that we refer to as "butterflies." We often get butterflies in our stomach prior to executing something that we have prepared for with much time and dedication.

It could be a speech, a sporting event, a job interview, or a marriage proposal. Part of those butterflies are excitement for the event itself, and part of them are the anticipation you feel knowing that you are about to find out just how prepared you are to execute what you practiced for, and how prepared you are to adjust to the outcome. That is, how well you adjust to whatever the opponent may throw at you.

Part of being prepared is preparing for what you know about your opponent. The other part is being able to adjust to the things you didn’t anticipate happening. Studying your opponent helps you with what may come, but fundamentals are what prepare you for what you weren’t expecting.

We all know that our opponent uses lies, fear, and darkness to kill, steal, and destroy, but what the opponent doesn't know is that, even though his tactics have been successful to a great degree, they are actually what will bring the whole thing down, and eventually defeat him. It’s what we have been preparing for.

Yes! We have been preparing for the opponent to be very successful at his corruption, as it is leading corruptible things to their complete destruction, and eventually there will be nothing left except whatever it true, whatever is firm, whatever is solid, whatever is holy, and whatever is good.

Our redemption in Christ Jesus allows us to be part of the greatest victory the world has ever seen, and this is something we should expect.

But our practice of the fundamentals like faith, hope, and love along with prayer, community, and practicing His word have also prepared us for what we're experiencing now, which is the last thing any of us expected.

I think we can all agree that the last few years have been a bit of a surprise. We certainly didn’t expect things to happen this way, but I want to encourage you today that God has and is preparing his people to stand firm on the foundation that he established. Jesus Christ is the firm foundation that we are to build our lives upon; the only one that will stand in times such as these.

Old things are passing away, and Jesus is making all things new. It is our privilege and joy to labor with him through this as we see his firm foundation be the only thing that remains at the end of it.

The Church has a great opportunity right in front of its face to bring "whosoever will” join us in for this big victory. More people will be open to the truth as lies are exposed; as fear continually tries to rear its ugly head.

Our righteousness, peace, and joy reveals whose kingdom is actually solid and who the true King of the world is. Consider yourself prepared, but also consider preparing more. Be confident in whose you are and be ready to execute what you've been preparing for when the time comes.

Blessings,

Dean