I won't allow myself to become ignorant and I'll do my duty, but I had had enough of the world's perverted news and politics some time ago. If you're a conservative Christ follower in the USA right now, you could easily fall into a trap that you might not be thinking about if you're focusing on the media and not watching where you're walking. I could call it The Fearful Worry Trap...
Some people are drawn like moths to a flame when it comes to The Fearful Worry Trap and dutifully walk right into it every day - some do it on purpose. I prefer to think that it's because they might not have understood the truth about the need to watch where they walk and the dangerous choice they're making to walk into it. For anyone struggling - worrying around in it now, I have some potentially helpful advice - look away from the media and check where you're standing.
If you're standing with one foot on the truth of God's word and His promises and one foot on the world, you've got good reason to be concerned because they're getting farther and farther apart ... and you're eventually gonna split your spiritual pants - right in front of everybody.
Our God's word is like that nifty straw type survival gadget that filters out all of the contamination from dirty water - allowing the user to drink pure life sustaining water through it while sucking from a dirty pond. If we drank straight from the world's polluted pond, there's a good chance that we'd get sick, but if we filter everything we take in through the filter - "the truth"of what God's said, all of the fear, worry and garbage get filtered out.
Let's be honest. Either we're using the word of God as the basis by which we determine EVERYTHING else, or we're allowing the truth to become polluted in our lives ... and getting sick could become just one of our worries. If we're not drawing the truth from what God's said, we're willingly letting ourselves become subject to the likelihood of sucking in lies. Either the world, the US Congress, some faction of government, or maybe just some people, reign over our lives ... OR OUR GOD DOES. I submit without any equivocation that our God reigns sovereignly supreme over any other, so what He's said is the truth that we actually live with and the filter we need every moment.
If we live in worry and fear, I believe that it might be because we either don't know what God's said, or we don't truly believe it. In either of those cases there's a cure, but it's up to us to make the decision to take it. Standing on God's promises won't make the world love us, in fact the opposite is likely true, but I don't think it'll be long before those with divided devotion slip and fall away. Many already have. We're living in the midst of a world culture that's doing everything it can in an effort to eliminate God from anything it can and to pervert anything left behind. As true followers of Christ, we need to be ready to follow Him right through the mess to wherever He leads if we truly believe Him - even if the world threatens. Because not believing Him is absolutely not worth the fear-filled cost, either here and now, or when this life is through.
Our individual standing and relationship with our Father God through Christ will determine far more than any number of congresses, people or circumstances that we might be presented with. This is because as His children, we live in the safety of His Fatherly protection and providence that the world has no power over. We may go through some hard times, but no matter what, we'll be safe in our Father's hand.
THIS, is the sovereign Father we trust in:
"Let all that I am praise the LORD ; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD ; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the LORD." Psalm 103 (NLT)
News? Politics? World culture, chaos and worries? - Leave them to the world. We've got a far better culture and home to subscribe to - our Father's.
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:31-34 (NLT)
My personal goal walking through this life is to walk in the certain security of the best company, so I say "One day at a time, Sweet Jesus". How about you?
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
Comments
Post a Comment