It should be obvious to most rational thinkers that our world has been overtaken by a spirit of fear. People of all walks of life, races, income levels, and beliefs now seem unified in their fear of a virus called COVID. In response to it, the majority of people have uniformly accepted controls and mandates that global governing authorities have forced on the whole world. Politicos, media, and now even faith-based organizations have embraced norms of masks, vaccines, monetary handouts to a majority of people (called “Socialism), and a general acceptance of anything stated by the “scientists” we see on all the news channels.
In addition to all of that, last year’s questionable election and the liberal progressives taking to the streets (in the middle of COVID) to demand equality of economics, education, and “social justice” has divided our nation and world to a level we have never seen before. Individual meaning and personal responsibility are passe.
Meanwhile, murders and suicides are up at alarming rates. Law and order have been relegated to a quiet corner of uncertainty and ineptitude while antagonists, extreme leftists, and “cancel culture” have taken over the public dialogue on what is “right or wrong”. Those of us who identify as holding conservative or Christian values are very much under direct attack by almost all of these huge techs and media companies who have been working in tandem to obliterate conservative voices and freedom of speech so that their secular humanism has no real barriers for spreading globally.
History is ripe with examples of how fear and violent tyranny can overcome majority populations. All previous empires of man (Roman, British, Mongolian, Spanish, Russian, American, etc) have counted on armed forces tied to Kings or Presidents who were mostly dictators to force their cultures and religions on all of earth’s inhabitants. Global governance has now taken control of our world with new mandates and limitations for travel, forced vaccinations, forced unscientific mask-wearing, increasing taxation, and uncontrolled financial debt…all in the name of the “common good” or “preservation of life”. In the midst of these conflicts, the absolutes of individual rights, speech, freedom of association, and personal choice and privacy when it comes to our health are simply set aside for the “fear of a virus”. We are truly living in a time of biological and cyber warfare…and most of us don’t even realize it.
Thankfully, in the middle of these events, there is also a spiritual awakening happening in some Christian circles. Various religious and church organizations have for decades crept away from the fundamental Gospel of Jesus Christ and now find themselves with no solid foundation of belief or principle that makes them different from the world. Instead, large portions of the religious world have bowed to the globalist and governmental elites. They have allowed human secularists to totally control the dialogues and accepted the dictates thereof without questioning. In many circles, there appears to be no difference between faith-believers and unbelievers when it comes to lifestyle or world views. The world has crept into the church more than the church affecting the world. This should be an obvious travesty to any Biblical believer, but unfortunately, many modern professing Christians have not read or understood the Bible upon which their faith is supposed to be based. Absolute truth and “right and wrong” have been sacrificed in order to get along with our culture. It is now heretical in many religious circles to question our world leaders or not submit to all the new mandates being forced on the world by the new world order.
Thankfully, the truth in God’s Word continues to advise the remnant of faithful believers to be “in the world but not of the world”. It continues to encourage us to be full of the Holy Spirit, not full of the cares and concerns of this world. It continues to reveal to us the purity of right and wrong and gives us absolutes we can trust and act on. It continues to let us know that we are loved and accepted by God and the true church no matter what goes on in the rest of the world. So for now, I remind you of these powerful passages from God’s Word that should comfort and encourage us in these times:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” ~ Luke 12:22-26
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” ~ Proverbs 29:25
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”…He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you…For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways…“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him…” from Psalm 91:1-16
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” ~ Romans 8:38-39
These are just a few of many verses I have been blessed to read that erase all my fear and anxiety. Each passage can become a sermon of its own, but for the sake of this writ let me summarize what I believe God is saying to us for these times…
A spirit-filled Christian will not be afraid…of ANYTHING in this world. This doesn’t give us a license to throw all cares and cautions to the wind when it comes to taking care of our health and livelihoods, but we must examine all of man’s edicts and directives under the light and microscope of God’s Word. There are some reasonable directives and laws we can and should live with, but we don’t need to agree or fold to everything our global leaders are demanding of us. We do NOT have to refrain from speaking truth to power, as long as we do it humbly and with the love and compassion of Christ.
In many things, the best we can do is stay still and quiet. We don’t have to fight every battle or point out every fallacy to everyone around us. Yet, we are supposed to let our light so shine so that our works speak louder than our words. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.
Finally, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18. Fear snuffs out the life of faith. Fear keeps us from loving God and others. Fear is the greatest cause of psychological and physical distress we experience in the flesh. Fear is the opposite of faith. The only thing we ARE to fear is our righteous and holy God.
Given all of this, I pray that everyone reading this will cast out all the fears in their lives from any wrong thinking, and totally embrace the love and acceptance of God because you have placed your faith and confidence in him. He is where the love is. He is not where the fear is.