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The question before every Christian is this: Will the recession in the economy produce a “recession” in our faith in God? To answer, let’s remind ourselves of some unchanging facts:
Precept Ministries, like most others, has seen a steep drop in income these past months. We have reorganized to ensure stewardship and efficiency. We have passed up some “good” projects to focus on the “best.” We continue to fervently petition God to keep providing funds to teach people how to study His Word . . . because demand for our ministry is higher than ever. But we have not panicked—and never will. Why? For all the reasons listed above and more. We have resolved never to succumb to a "recession" of faith. What about you? Are you standing firm on the truths of what the recession can’t do to you? Believe me, I realize it’s not easy. At Precept, we experience the same emotions you do as we see the bank account running low. But if Christian faith were easy, why should it make the unbelieving world turn its head and take notice of our God? In their eyes, Christian faith is crazy—impossible. Especially in a recession. For example, the churches of Macedonia were in an economic recession. They were in “a great ordeal of affliction” and “deep poverty” (2 Cor. 8:2). Yet they did something that was not normal by the world’s fear-based standards: “According to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave” (2 Cor. 8:3). What! Gave? In a recession? Yes, they did. In fact, they gave generously, “begging . . . with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints” (v. 4). They “begged” Paul to let them give more than he asked (v. 3)! The key to their generosity was that “they first gave themselves to the Lord” (v. 5). They knew that the Pure Giver—the One who “gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16)—actually lived in them through Christ. Their sacrificial giving was not a grudging “to do list” but rather a joyful echo of their indwelling Master’s passion. By their giving, they spit in the eye of their recession. No recession of faith for them! Their God—His promises, His Kingdom—was bigger. May it be so with us.
Are You Reading the Signs of the Times?
In the context of trusting Him, not worrying, and being ready for His coming, Jesus said, “You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:56). The Word of God gives sobering examples of those who did not—such as the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day who counseled the final kings of Judah. They prophesied, “ ‘Peace, peace,’ ” as judgment was descending (Jer. 6:14). Instead, our example must be those such as the sons of Issachar, “who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chron. 12:32). Following in their footsteps, we must:
With that in mind, let me give you three thoughts. Don’t Fall for False Optimism
I call Jeremiah “the book for right now.” Our religious world is filled with best-selling false prophets rivaling those of Jeremiah’s day. Jesus pointed it out as a sign of the times in Matthew 24. You hear little from them about sin. Little about “greed, which amounts to idolatry” (Col. 3:5; Luke 12:15). Little about temporal and eternal judgment. This recession—triggered by idolatry— should be a sign telling us to steer clear of such false teachers and instead to properly study God’s Word and search our own hearts. Likewise, a nation filled with mockery of God and sexual immorality should be a sign that we are courting increased judgment. We’ve murdered more than 40 million babies. God’s righteousness commands His judgment. The increase in the signs of Matthew 24 all point to what must happen before Jesus comes. Be encouraged. Be alert. Be ready. Don’t WorrySo in light of the signs of trouble, Beloved, should we be overcome with anxiety? Our Master says the opposite! Jesus told people in a nation consumed with greed and worried about losing their earthly possessions, “Do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.”God is your sovereign Father! “Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. . . . But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:22–23, 31). “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’ ” (Heb. 13:5–6) Don’t Grow Weary!In Luke 12:35–40, Jesus tells us we are to be like men waiting for our master to come. In Hebrews we are assured that we will “receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Heb. 12:28). As we read the signs of our times, we can handle whatever hits us—recession, persecution, stress—with the gift He called “My peace” (John 14:27). But to do so, you must continue to do the work of seriously studying His Word and find supernatural power to live for His Kingdom. “My righteous one shall live by faith.” I plead with you, in the light of the signs of the times, to keep going. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
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Resolved! No Recession of Faith 
