Matthew 24:9 Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

Jesus warned the disciples of some of the things which would happen to them just because they dared to stand up and be counted as Christians.

It is very easy to say “I will not change” but when the time comes and things get difficult, we tend to change!

Christ wants us to try and remain steadfast in our faith at all times even though it may seem like the rest of the world is against us just because we are Christians!

Matthew 13:21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

When people pretend to follow Christ, they are walking a very tough line because as soon as they are faced with persecution because of what they are saying, they change their story and try something else!

Don’t be deceived by people like this because they are the only ones who will be losing our, not us unless we are trusting them!

This is why God says we should compare what people say with what the Word of God says – that way we should be able to decipher what we should believe!

Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

As a new Christian you probably had all sorts of doubts and worries about whether you had made the right choice.

The more you get to know the Word of God, the more you realise just how much we can depend on it and how much we do not have to worry about!

Yes, we still have the world around us, and it is a scary place at times, but our futures in Christ are assured and certain – we can totally depend on them!