A Conspiracy Against Our Souls

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According to the headlines:

China is playing war games. More foreign reporters have been kidnapped. Civil war rages and diplomats can’t come to a peaceful ceasefire. We’re all turning socialist. On the domestic side, we’ve got immigration issues. The definition of marriage is crumbling. Kids are bullied to death. The divorce rate has skyrocketed.…

ENOUGH! Holy Spirit, come!

I can only take so much of the headlines. The news can cause dread to simmer in the gut. Fear can boil over to the point of insomnia, ulcers, or panic. I know too many people who take desperate measures to safeguard themselves with a secret stash of food, water, and ammo.

We must like pain because too many of us spend hours poring over negative news. No wonder so we are a depressed, violent, and irritable culture. Then we turn to deceit as a way to survive or oppression of fellow humans as a way to generate security. We’re a crazy bunch.

And then I read what the prophet Isaiah learned by divine impartation.
“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, ‘Do not call everything a conspiracy [or hard, or holy], like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe.’” Isa 8:11-14

Holy—He’s my only true hope of safety when I separate my mindset from the world’s approach.

Fear Him—I’m a member of the winning gang. Any other fear is a distrust of God.
Safe — an indestructible asylum. Armored and shatterproof.

Ahh . . . peace amid chaos. A peace attained only through the supernatural. A peace too deep for words.

Chaos will be with us until the end of time. No need to go look for it.

My new headlines: Whatever is pure, right, excellent . . .

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!  Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Phil 4:4-8 

Selah…

The Way of the Embattled Spirit

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