Jay Sekulow is a religious liberties litigator and said America needs to do more to protect Christians here and abroad. “Christians face more persecution today than at any time in history, from jihadist regimes to Muslim mobs, to genocidal terrorist armies. America can and must do more to protect these persecuted Christians around the globe.” You don’t have to go overseas to witness the persecution of Christians. Many people believe we are moving closer to the end of the ages. The signs of violence, destruction and the persecution of believers are the norm. If that is not a precursor, what's going on in politics could sway you. Many acknowledge that the return Lord Jesus Christ is soon, but as Christians, we are recoiling like scared children afraid of the school bully, which is society. People are dodging Christianity in the pews and on Capital Hill. Your faith can't be dictated by what the government is doing or what politicians are not doing. Take back your faith as the government and the media will never get behind you. But where do you begin? Here are 6 ways to build your faith in today's climate.

Understand that persecution will happen.

Our faith needs to be settled and rooted in Christ Jesus. Persecution will happen and that means you must be doing something right. 2 Timothy 3:12 offered the answer to the persecution question. “All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The world will persecute you if are trying to live a righteous life. What does persecute mean? The root word means "to divide." Culture today is not a fan of Christians, and it loves to divide people. The state of our government is seemingly, a perfect platform for this. "The righteous person is divided, separated from this world. You must earn it by being different," pastor and author Adrian Rogers explained. But not all persecution is equal, however. "If you are being persecuted, make sure it is for being righteous, not for being odd, he added." If persecution is not for Jesus' sake then it is false.

We are not serving.

Politicians who profess to be Christians are called to service. This responsibility has been forsaken for power or to influence people to vote for them in an election. What is happening is that people wearing the Christian label are not making it easy. Kerry Walters is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Gettysburg College and Catholic priest, he called some politicians callous and self-self-serving. "Unfortunately this is becoming the signature style of President Trump and congressional Republicans, especially the so-called Freedom Caucus (freedom from what? from responsibility to the common good, apparently), they do grave damage to the common good and particular harm to society’s most vulnerable members," he wrote in an editorial for the Huffington Post. What is disappointing about Walters' belief is that Christians aren't acting as they should. He has a point, but we can change this by running for local office and running nationally to help turn the tide by showing Christ in our actions.

Realize we are in a war against ideologies.

Schools ban prayer from football games. We hear about crosses being taken down since it's offensive to people. A mother was forced by the courts to take down a memorial cross honoring her son on the road side, as an atheist was offended by its meaning. Another incident happened in a Colorado high school where the school board banned a group of students from singing Christ-centered songs after complaints were lodged by parents. Jesus said that we will have a battle and we need to know who we are in Christ to fight for what is right. Will we win all the time? No, we won't, but our faith will be stretched, making us stronger.

Spend time with the Lord.

In order to stand in your faith, you need to spend time in prayer and in the Word because it is useless to fight when you are not strong. Repentance can help you turn around your life and rebuild your relationship with Christ and allow you hear what God is saying to you. This will also impact your confidence. Spending time in God's presence impacts all aspects of your life and will make you a better person overall.

Don't use violence as an excuse.

We've seen protests, destruction of property and people being bullied over politics. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers," said in Matthew 5:9. But we also need to be the peacemakers in our own communities. Rev. Billy Graham said. "We should pray for peace throughout the world, but we also can’t forget about our own backyard. Is there strife within your own family or workplace? Be a peacemaker there."

Don't be harsh.

Anger, bitterness, insults and hatred is the glowing mantra of today on the news and across the nation. As humans, we get sucked up into this damaging web of hate and also feed into it. Listen, your faith is not dictated by the White House or Main Street. Besides, all this stress will deplete you spiritually and mentally. Ephesians 4:29 said: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Distance yourself from the temptation of getting into an area of hate in your life because of the political atmosphere.

We will face persecution as Christians, we will be hated by those who disagree with our doctrines. But we are also making things harder on ourselves when we claim to represent Christ and fail. Your faith is dependent on you, no one else.