Question: Did you know that Israel, China, Russia and (Persia) Iran are mentioned in biblical prophecy and it has no mention of America?

Jesus calls every believer into a life of courageous discipleship, declaring in Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” To take up the cross is to willingly surrender personal ambition, comfort, and control in order to live under the lordship of Christ. The cross represents both sacrifice and transformation; it is the place where the old life of self-centeredness is laid down so that the new life in Christ may emerge. When believers embrace this call, they are not choosing defeat but alignment with the redemptive path that Jesus Himself walked. The cross reminds us that faith is not merely belief but a daily decision to trust Christ even when obedience requires endurance, humility, and perseverance. Yet the promise attached to this calling is profound. Those who carry the cross with Christ also share in His life, His victory, and His resurrection power. The trials that accompany faithful discipleship become the very means through which God shapes character, deepens faith, and reveals His strength. As blood washed believers remain steadfast, they discover that the cross does not lead to despair but to deeper communion with God and the joy of eternal life. In following Christ through sacrifice and obedience, the believer participates in the greater story of redemption, trusting that the One who called them to take up the cross also walks dwells in them, sustaining them with grace and leading them ultimately into glory. I will abide in Him, and he shall abide in me!