WAKE UP.

WAKE UP.

It's the thought that's been playing in my head ever since Wednesday. Why is our world so empty? How are we so evil? How can God let this horror continue?

Charlie Kirk's tragic death has left a gap in the heart of Christians everywhere.

His murder is especially hard to bear. For a young man to ripped away from his family, wife and children is nothing short of horrific. No one deserves to be assassinated so violently.

It's at moments like these when the world's darkness hems us in, whispering of all the evil it's accomplished. The Enemy mocks us, telling us that we're weak. He says that he's won. He's waging war on the people of Christ. What would be the point of fighting anymore? How can mere people stand against the pure darkness of the world, the Devil and his army?

That's exactly why now is the time to stand tall.

"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand." -Ephesians 6:10-13

Ephesians 6 is a familiar passage for many of us. We may have memorized parts of it, or, if you had a mom like mine, even dressed up in the armor of God and played soldier with it.

But I think that we really skip straight to the armor of God and skip over the absolute crucial introduction.

Paul doesn't start by saying "Okay, now pick up your sword and swing it at the enemy!" He also doesn't say, "First things first, get that shield up!" or even "tighten your belt up soldier."

He starts by saying to be strengthened by the Lord and His vast strength.

That means that the key here is one of my all-time favorite points of the entire bible: God is the one who fights for us. He's got this. He doesn't rely on us to go out and hopefully take down the enemy for Him. Rather, He's the one at the front lines.

"The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." -Exodus 14:14 (ESV).

Truly, He is the Lord of Armies. Our God is a warrior. The one who leads us in the battle charge.

And the best part? He already has the victory.

It's only by God's strength that we are able to pick up the sword of the spirit at all, or the shield of faith. On our own, we never could stand against the devil. We would fail for certain, because we are weak and unable to do anything on our own.

But with our God, our Savior, our Messiah behind us, why should we fear anything?

That's why we pick up the sword. That's why we keep moving forward, because we are being led by the God of our salvation, the one who never loses a battle and promises never to let us fall.

That's where the title of this post fits in: WAKE UP.

Gen Z, this is our time. We live in a dark and terrifying world that seeks to extinguish and destroy every piece of light it can find.

But with the Lord Himself leading us forward, now is our time to stand up and wield His armor. We should be the generation that is on fire for the gospel of Jesus Christ, the one willing to hold the line even in trials.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God's sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility- not willingly, but because of him who subjected it- in the hope that creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God's children." -Romans 8:18-21

I feel like screaming this verse into the heavens. I'm literally serious- I could get up from my desk and run outside barefoot right now, shouting this at the top of my lungs.

THE GLORY THAT IS GOING TO BE REVEALED TO US.

Reader. Dear Reader.

Consider for a moment the implications of what Paul is trying to get across to us here.

His point? That all the persecutions, sufferings, murders, pains and difficulties we deal with here on earth are nothing compared to the joy of Heaven.

What a gorgeous promise.

And our response? To cry out the joy and hope of the gospel as loudly as we can, without worrying about the consequences or suffering we'll endure for it. Because we have a reward and a crown waiting for us that is so much better, so much richer, and so much more glorious than what we could earn on earth by keeping our mouths shut.

Charlie Kirk didn't keep his mouth shut. He was a front-runner for so many social issues, from abortion to biblical marriage and so many others.

Ultimately, he paid for it with his life.

But guess what.

The moment he left this earth, he heard the voice of His Savior saying Well done, good and faithful servant.

The angels are celebrating in Heaven right now. Charlie has received his reward, and he has so much more in heaven than he lost here on earth.

I can't pretend to know exactly what heaven is like for him. But I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it is incomparably glorious. It will be more than we could ever dream, and more than we could ever imagine.

The pain and suffering he went through is nothing compared to the joy and glory he's experiencing right now.

Which is why I am urging you, friend, to be a front-runner. Don't be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wake up. Take up your sword. Go out and proclaim His name to all who will receive it.

We serve the Lord of Armies, who leads us into battle and will not let us fall.

It's a wonderful time to be a Christian in Gen Z. The world doesn't need our voices, but they do need the gospel. And being silent is not the answer.

Stay undistracted.

Love,

Mira <3

Check out my playlist for Christian Gen Z inspiring songs :)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VLUSK3gNsXcTvF9kPOrdz?si=b549abd98e204448