The Politics of Fear ... Believe That The Giants Can Be Defeated!

I don't have to tell you that the political and spiritual forces in this realm have aligned to spread fear among the people of this nation. It is apparent that our rule of law is deteriorating, and our political foundation is faltering. People throughout the nation are questioning the path we are on -- parents are concerned about the education their children are receiving; doctors are having to make serious decisions about how they practice medicine; the average citizen is seeing their bank accounts diminish at an alarming rate; and those who live along our borders feel like they have been abandoned by those who profess to have their best interests at heart.

And the primary stimulus driving all these concerns is FEAR. But this should not surprise us. Fear is one of the primary spiritual weapons that the Enemy uses to control the destiny of mankind. We only have to look back at the Biblical story of Joshua and Caleb, who were part of the contingent of 12 spies sent into the Promised Land to determine if it could be conquered. But ten of the spies came back and reported that they were defeated before they ever began. They were filled with fear and let that fear completely vanquish them. But it was Caleb who said, "But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God". 

That is what we're seeing today. Those who are unhappy with the direction in which our nation is moving (whether you believe God has a hand in it, or not) are instilling their fears in the general population. And I know that many of these fears are justified -- I get it! But, you see, Caleb was free from fear, and he used his trust in God to try to help the people of Israel overcome their fears. And those of us who are like Caleb, and surrender to the will of God, have something to say to people who are afraid. Our surrender to God is the only answer to the problem of fear. 

I know that won't be the answer for far too many people, and it will be difficult to minister and serve others who do not have the same faith we do in God. And it is also a disservice to all people to pretend that there are no difficulties; we cannot and should not persuade others to escape reality. BUT, we can listen to their fears, remain calm, report the facts, and look for ways to encourage them. After all, Caleb did not pretend that the giants did not exist. But he was different from most of the men who returned from the Promised Land spreading their fear. He tried to report the good things, too.

I know this may sound too simplistic or optimistic. And I know people have greatly suffered in recent years as we get closer to Jesus's return. I personally learned of the deaths of a couple that Mark and I were close to since we met and married over 30 years ago. We had not been able to get in touch with them; Christmas cards were returned, and the phone number went unanswered until it finally was disconnected. We had tried to make the trip to see them because we knew something was wrong, but the last communication we had with them was that they didn't want to see anyone. You see, they were living in fear, isolating themselves in their home, overcome with anxiety and foreboding about what they saw happening in the world. I am so sad [and mad] that they died alone, and that the devil was able to distract them with what he put before their eyes. 

I could stay focused on that tragedy, and let it consume me, and begin to sow seeds of doubt in the speculation of my own future. But like Caleb, I choose to look for the good things that have happened on the revelation of this heart-rending news. I reconnected to the niece of my friend [who was a roommate in a house we shared in our younger years], and also re-established a connection with someone who had worked with me and this couple. We all agreed that we had tried to help them, but they listened to the whispers of fear promoted by the devil. And we decided to join together to remember happier times and to express our gratitude for having them in our lives. And we have vowed to remain connected. That is the good that we choose to embrace.

But this couple, and the entire nation, would have been well-served to remember Caleb's words. He said, "We are well able". This does not mean that he had confidence only in himself. Nor did he put undue emphasis on the military strength of Israel, either. No. He was emphasizing where their power really came from. It came from firm confidence in God’s power. I think it's time to ask ourselves, "Do we believe only in the power of men"? If we do, they are proving that they will fail us. Then when trouble comes [and it will ... Jesus said it will], then the spirits of doubt and unbelief join forces with the spirits of fear, anger, bitterness, and depression to keep us from seeing any possibility of God's goodness. Have we forgotten that we are well able?!?

We are able to overcome any obstacle and work together for the good of ourselves, our families, our communities, and our country. We have incredible resources to help the next generation(s) reach new heights. But we must teach them a robust work ethic and the fearlessness to seek out and take advantage of the opportunities put before them. Are you a college graduate searching for a job, or been laid off work and need to feed your family? The Mike Rowe Works Foundation is giving away $1 million in scholarships for those who are interested in attending trade schools or apprenticeship programs. The opportunities are there! But we must also give them a sound and solid moral foundation by which to live their lives; fundamentals by which they will thrive and please God, as they seek to serve others. 

I cannot deny that there is a disparity in how the economy of our nation is functioning today compared to the recent past; people are less confident in their economic future. And the civil unrest and disrespect towards our fellow man is now on full display. Yes, there is the uncertainty of the corruption/hostility within our government, the overwhelming numbers of people crossing our borders, and the raging fires and devastating hurricanes -- and it all translates to both anxiety and confusion about the future. In Biblical terms, people are becoming overwhelmed with fear of the future, just as the Israelites did when they wanted to turn back from entering the Promised Land.

But we must adopt the lessons of Caleb and Joshua; we must cling to a strong faith that God has a plan for us if we will obey Him. If God has promised it, He will see it fulfilled. But we must do our part. We must remain righteous, seek His will rather than our own, and lean on His strength to defeat the giants before us. And, I'm not going to mislead you -- we are facing some huge giants. And I am aware that it rains on the just and the unjust. But I will not surrender to the sins and disobedience of others, and I will rely on my Lord to provide a Land of Goshen from which I can prosper and carry out my assignment for His Kingdom. It is important that we recognize that the spirit of Fear dealt a severe blow to the progress of the Israelites over 3500 years ago. Their growth and progress was stunted, and fear was to blame. Nothing has changed over the centuries. We must not allow fear to take root in our land and diminish the blessings and potential for our future generations. Stay the course ... trust in the Lord ... and know in your spirit that our giants can be defeated!

Numbers 13:30    But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it."

Our Choice is Clear: Fear or Fortitude

It should come as no surprise that we are battling for not only the soul of this nation, but our very existence. Since the beginning of our colonial history, the Framers of the Constitution fought to avoid the political and social divisions that ripped England apart in their bloody civil wars. It was a tenuous time as they desperately tried to start our new nation on solid ground. Less than 100 years later, that ground was shattered and bloody from our own civil war. And I'm not sure we ever fully recovered, politically or socially, from those fractures. But somehow the fabric of the nation held, we bound up our wounds, and have managed to survive through two world wars, and multiple foreign wars [all of which made international bankers and champions of the war machines wealthy], at the cost of millions of lives.

So, here we are, nearly two-and-a-half centuries later, and our survival as a nation seems to be just as tenuous. Actually, the world, itself, seems to be on the verge of destruction! I mean, how many people in the world sense that unprecedented Evil is about to come upon the peoples of this planet?  Both Christians and nonbelievers have a heightened awareness that there is danger and darkness in the offing; and how many of you have heard the warnings and prophecies forecasting that 2025 is the culmination of the final age of man?  I've heard everything from world-wide economic collapse, to serious natural disasters, and of course, the beginning of WWIII... all guaranteed to strike fear in the hearts of men and women.

How could it not? There doesn't seem to be much good news to look forward to, right? But we have a choice in how we will confront the possibilities. Will we allow a spirit of fear to render us silent and cowering in a corner; submitting to the forces of evil who wish to eradicate us? Or we will we approach the uncertain and scary future with fortitude; with courage, resilience, moral fiber, strength of mind and character, and steadfast spirit? Those choices couldn't be further apart, but are most likely what it will come down to for each individual. There is no middle ground.

And there is no middle ground in this spiritual war between the God we serve and the Enemy of all mankind. Because of how much evil is being brought against God's creation, His anger is mounting and I believe His cup of wrath will soon be filled to the brim. And the Lord's sheep are sensing it and becoming full of worry and apprehension. How are we to prepare for what's coming? What should we be expecting from ourselves? We all hope we will face the future with confidence in the Lord, and with the courage and fortitude of Christ. And since we look to Him as our model in all human circumstances, let us consider how He responded in His hour of fear and uncertainty...

Could anything we face compare to the anxiety and dread that our Lord must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane?  If I may paraphrase one of my favorite Bible commentators, Matthew Henry, "Jesus had an awful sense of the wrath of God, of the weight of sin. His human nature was ready to sink under that heavy load, and would have sunk, had He been forsaken of help and comfort from God; but He was heard in His prayers, He was supported through the agonies of death."

This understanding, along with the example Jesus gives us on how to approach God in our times of distress and agony of soul, is something that I wish us all to embrace. Yes, we have examples of Jesus praying throughout the gospels, including His rising early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35), praying all night (Luke 6:12), and praying while fasting 40 days (Matthew 4:2).  In fact, the disciples saw how important prayer was to Jesus and asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1).

But in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus's prayer was not casual or routine; it was intense and passionate. Let's look at what is involved in His prayers during this time of apprehension and foreboding. The most common component of many of our prayers is tears, which Jesus also exhibited during His time of intense prayer. Tears are often a sign of pain in our soul. Jesus had a heart full of compassion for His creation and could feel in His heart the sickness, suffering, and coming death of mankind. Our "lostness" pained His heart. Our pain was His pain. He wept for us as He prayed.

Notice also that He prayed with great shouting. Have you ever shouted out loud to God during your most private conversations with Him? Shouting is often a sign of resistance. In times of spiritual warfare -- and believe me, there was a war going on in the spiritual realm as Jesus faced His crucifixion -- we all face the forces of sin and Satan. While shouting and praying, Jesus was fighting in the spiritual realm against the moral darkness of the world.  He was opposing evil and overcame it. In His fervent prayer, He was fighting energetically [and vehemently] on our behalf. And I believe He is doing the same today -- and boy, do we need it!

The political and spiritual forces have aligned to try to strike fear in our hearts and render us silent, powerless, and impotent. For a Biblical example, we only have to look back at the Biblical story of Joshua and Caleb, who were part of the contingent of 12 spies sent into the Promised Land to determine if it could be conquered. But ten of the spies came back and reported that they were defeated before they ever began. They were filled with fear and let that fear completely vanquish them. But it was Caleb who said, "But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God". 

Caleb was free from fear, and he used his trust in God to try to help the people of Israel overcome their fears. And those of us who are like Caleb, and surrender to the will of God, have something to say to people who are afraid. Our surrender to God is the only answer to the problem of fear. It doesn't mean we ignore the facts, or we stick our head in the sand, and pretend that there will be no difficulties; we cannot and should not persuade others to escape reality. That is a disservice to others. But all people would be well-served to remember Caleb's words. He didn't deny the giants existed, or that it wouldn't be difficult to overcome them. Instead, he said, "We are well able". This does not mean that he had confidence only in himself.  Nor did he put undue emphasis on the military strength of Israel, either.  No.  He was emphasizing where their power really came from. It came from firm confidence in God’s power.

We are well able! We are able to overcome our differences and work together for the good of the country and the world -- if we are willing to follow the One who offers us hope. We are well able to join forces with the Heavenly Host to battle the Enemy's demonic partners who seek to destroy us physically, spiritually, and socially. We are well able to survive whatever is coming -- our ancestors made it through the Depression; the Jews overcame the Holocaust, and survived the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Millions of people throughout the ages have suffered in genocides, plagues, slavery, and totalitarianism. None of it was pretty or easy. In fact, it was diabolical. 

The truth is, none of us know what the future holds for us, and I'm sure many of us are consumed with fear over the possibilities. I also know that most of you are joining me in solemn and dedicated prayer, asking God for mercy and forgiveness in His coming judgment (that we so thoroughly deserve). Let us strive for an attitude of fortitude -- the same kind of courage Jesus showed in His adversity on the eve of His most frightening and devastating experience. It's OK to cry out to the Lord and shout to Heaven in our moments of agony, fright, and doubt. But if we approach our Father with godly fear and reverence, He will hear us and will provide the means for us to be carried through whatever awaits us. I truly believe that!

Just as Matthew Henry wrote, I am convinced that, like Jesus, we will not be forsaken in our moment of need. We will be helped and comforted by God, who will hear our prayers, and we will be supported, even unto death. We must follow Christ's example, devoting ourselves to Him, denying ourselves (and our natural human fears); and take up our cross, follow Him unto death, [if it is God's will], proclaiming our victory over Evil. Praise the Lord for the standard He has set before us! Praise Him for His fortitude, and for showing us that God's mercy is sufficient, and enough to see us through anything the Enemy can bring against us.  God will bring order out of this chaos! He's done it before and His Word says He will do it again. Please pray that mankind rejects the lies and temptations of the Evil One before we've gone too far. The Man of Lawlessness is ready to take the stage, but God, in His Sovereignty, will determine the time of His appearance. 

Father, we pray for Your protection from the shaking that we deserve! Destroy the plans of everyone whose heart is aligned with the Enemy, and may Your Holy Spirit guide us away from a spirit of fear. You are our Hope and Strength and Refuge! Fill us with the Godly fortitude of Jesus!

Jeremiah 10:10     But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.

 

 

"We are Well-Abled; We are Strengthened"!

The reason that I began writing this blog ten years ago, is part of why I continue to write it. In 2011 our national psyche was being tested; we instinctively sensed that our foundation was shifting and we were being herded towards unfamiliar ground. This transformation opened the door for the Enemy to sow seeds of fear into our inner man. It seemed as if overnight our national identity was under assault. And as I examined the 2300+ posts I've written throughout the years, I discovered that the spirit of fear still exists among Americans today. 

Recent events in our nation and the world have caused that emotion to spike; we are struggling to understand the orchestrated racial divide, the political deception, the class warfare, the border crisis, and loss of our freedoms. It's become increasingly difficult to recognize our country. Where did our guaranteed sense of security go? People fear for their health, their jobs, their financial security; and wonder if we will ever feel safe again.

So, do you live in such fear or dread? Do you know how to conquer this poisonous weapon of Satan? We only have to look back at the Biblical story of Joshua and Caleb, who were part of the contingent of 12 spies sent into the Promised Land to determine if it could be conquered. But ten of the spies came back and reported that they were defeated before they ever began. They were filled with fear and let that fear completely vanquish them.  But it was Caleb who said, "But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God". 

I ask you to consider that we are experiencing this same phenomenon today. Believe me, I understand if you are unhappy with the direction in which our nation is moving (whether you believe God has a hand in it, or not). There is much that is unsettling. But we cannot yield to the tactics of those committed to defeating our way of life and the foundation of faith that undergirds this nation. We must not allow them to instill a spirit of fear in the general population. Because, you see, Caleb was free from fear, and he used his trust in God to try to help the people of Israel overcome their fears. And those of us who are like Caleb, and surrender to the will of God, have something to say to people who are afraid. Our surrender to God is the only answer to the problem of fear.   

I know it will be difficult to minister and serve others who do not have the same faith we do in YHWH. And it is a disservice to all people to pretend that there are no difficulties; we cannot and should not persuade others to escape reality.  BUT, we can listen to their fears, remain calm, report the facts, and look for ways to encourage them. We can share our testimonies of overcoming our giants, and how the presence of the Lord in our lives gave us the courage to stand. After all, Caleb did not pretend that the giants did not exist. But he was different from most of the men who returned from the Promised Land spreading their fear. He tried to report the good things, too.

 I know this may sound too simplistic or optimistic. There are haters who will never be convinced that any good can exist in the face of our current challenges.  But our entire nation would be well-served to remember Caleb's words. He said, "We are well able". This does not mean that he had confidence only in himself. Nor did he put undue emphasis on the military strength of Israel, either. No. He was emphasizing where their power really came from. It came from firm confidence in God’s power. Don't let anyone convince you to jump on "the fear bandwagon". We are well able! We are able to overcome our differences and work together for the good of the country.  We have incredible resources to help the next generation(s) reach new heights of prosperity. But we must teach them a robust work ethic and the fearlessness to take advantage of the opportunities put before them.  We must also give them a sound and solid moral foundation by which to live their lives; fundamentals by which they will lives that are pleasing to God, as they seek to serve others.  All this is available to every American, regardless of color, ethnicity, gender, or background. 

I'm not trying to diminish the fear that I know is very real to many of you. I understand that the word "fear" means more than just being afraid or scared. It has connotations of sorrow and grief and dread ... concerning people, things, and events. But it is exactly at these times, when everything around us screams "Defeat" and "End Times" that we must remain clear about the overall message of the Word .... we can be assured of God's final victory over the Anti-Christ forces in the world, and His faithfulness to see us be overcomers of this ungodly system. In these times of difficulties, there's a truth that we can cling to. In Isaiah 43, God declares that He is the Savior of Israel, to whom we have been grafted into. His words to His beloved people are true for us, too: Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you [from captivity]. I have called you by name; you are Mine! 

Throughout Israel's history, we have seen examples of how God's favored nation overcame their fears and struggles. But none is as powerful as our Lord overcoming his own moment of fear in the Garden of Gethsemane. His emotional condition was so severe our Lord sweated blood in that Garden before His crucifixion. But in that moment, as the gospel of Luke, Chapter 22, tell us, Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him.  In that moment of grief and dread -- and yes, we can call it fear -- Jesus felt the powerful presence of God with Him. There was a purpose for Jesus's life and it extended far beyond what was about to happen in this world. It was the power of God's love and presence that transcended what was about to happen in the physical. And it allowed Jesus to endure the evil perpetrated against Him. He was strengthened! We must follow in His footsteps.

If you are suffering the torment of Satan's fiery dart of fear, then you must remind yourself that God's judgments against the world are ultimately to wipe out evil, not harm the saints. Just as He did in the wilderness of Egypt, God will supernaturally protect and provide for us. Our faith demands that we trust Him in this! When the difficulties in this world increase, so will God's guidance and leadership. And should this world result in our physical death, there is no greater joy than knowing that the very next instant we will be in His glorious presence forever!

When we know what we believe about God and ourselves, then we have the confidence and faith to stand firm and follow Jesus's model of dignity and strength in our hour of need. We will not be afraid to voice our allegiance to Him or to choose to follow Him, no matter the cost. Here's the thing, Jesus never taught on "feelings"; He always commanded obedience. We must truly believe He is our Rock, our Fortress, and our Deliverer; that He is our Strength, our God in whom we can trust. He is our Shield, and our horn (Power) of Salvation. He is our Stronghold and we must praise His Name, for He is worthy to be praised. And we will be saved from our enemies! This is a passage from Psalm 18, and it is a Scripture that is never far from my heart or my lips. I believe these words with all that is in me!

So, I encourage you to face your fears and begin to declare the Truth of Scripture -- and believe it! Jesus tells us that we are not given a spirit of fear, but we have the Holy Spirit, who gives us mighty power, love [of God] and self-control. When we recognize the power that is in us, we do not fear anything [or anyone] else. And we have the ability to control our carnal emotions and fleshly behavior, as we walk in our spiritual identity. Fear has no place in the life of a Believer. Jesus conquered it; Caleb did, too. Trust in God's power inside you and watch Him deliver you of all sorrow, grief, dread, and fear. Then declare that you are ready to walk in the glory of God for the remaining days of your life.   

It is my prayer that this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, you will find increased faith in the power of our Lord to deliver you from the concerns of this world. Give thanks to our ever-faithful God who never takes His eyes off you. Praise Him for His enduring love! 

Psalm 34:4   I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.