Photo by Fadi-XD on Unsplash
Last year (2025) revealed some grave concerns from a. spiritual aspect.
The global rise of lawlessness is undeniable. The violent protests in the U.S. and UK are no longer isolated incidents. They have spread across the nation and the kingdom.
The Apostle Paul gave Timothy explicit instructions about the time in which we live.
“Don’t be naivenaïvere are difficult times ahead.
As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse,
dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical,
treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God.
They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes, they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.”
2 Timothy 3:1-6 The Message
Such lawlessness is being witnessed globally.
Telling a story about an unjust judge, Jesus concludes the story by saying,
“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:7-8 New International Version
The Apostle Paul declares that the end times will be difficult because of self-absorbed, lawless people.
Jesus raises the question of finding believers in the end times.
How do these passages of scripture relate to returning to my first love?
They relate by conveying two simple truths.
- There will come a time when lawlessness will be the order of the day.
Humanity is living in that time.
- The lack of faith (the belief and assurance that God is who he says he is and will do what he says he will) will be prevalent in the end times.
“So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 New Living Translation
The Apostle Paul says hearing the Word of God (the good news about Jesus) promotes faith in a person’s heart.
If people are,
“self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse,
dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical,
treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God,”
(2 Timothy 3:1-6 The Message) How will:
- Talk about the good news of Jesus?
- Hear about the good news of Jesus?
The answer is, they won’t.
The reason is that Christ-followers have left their first love—Jesus.
If we, Christ-followers, are not leaning into our first love, we will fall prey to these strategies of our adversary.
According to Jesus, it means we will set aside our first love, which is not the same as walking away from it.
In the New Testament book of Revelation, 2:1-4,
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (New International Version)
The Apostle John commended the Christ-followers in Ephesus for several things.
- I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance
- I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people,
- I know that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false
- I know you have persevered
- I know you have endured hardships for my name
- I know you have not grown weary
What great accolades to have the Lord give them; however,
“You have forsaken the love you had at first.”
How can this be?
The first commendation gives us a clue.
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance”
Deeds signify work (i.e., your hard work), while perseverance signifies self-determination.
In other words, the Christ-followers withstood the unrighteous actions going on around them, but they did it through their own effort and energy, and not by grace through the love of God.
Your first love signifies being willingly blind to your surroundings, focusing on the object of your love.
This “blindness” is essential because it:
- Keeps you from being distracted by the things around you
- Keeps your focus on the one who matters most—Jesus
Therefore, returning to my first love means laying down my self-determination and leaning into full surrender to Jesus, which is scary because it means I have to trust him and his decisions for me.
However, walking with God will prove how trustworthy He is, and will dampen (because of our human nature, I do not know that it will eliminate) your doubt.
My challenge in 2026 is to:
- Lean into Jesus
- Let go of my self-determination
- Learn to trust in my God
This was easier when I first believed because I was naïve about a lot of things.
It is becoming more difficult the longer I live in this world, because of the growing lawlessness I face daily.
It is a challenge, but one I have committed to embracing.
The cry of the Spirit has gone out.
Humanity has entered a time of historical proportions, and being close to God will mean the difference between finding spiritual freedom and deepening spiritual bondage.