Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024
Our World Needs Jesus
Lately I've been feeling discouraged about the state of the world. Maybe I'm spending too much time on X.com. Despite trying to follow Christian accounts, and exposing myself to positive messages, I can't seem to escape the disgruntled and angry people, who are so often complaining about the state of the world.
If it's not the mass migration/invasion of Muslims into Europe, it's lawsuits against Pfizer by the Kansas, Texas, and other states in the U.S. because it cases sterility, miscarriages, myocarditis and pericarditis.
Are you like me? Despite trying to keep my eyes on the Kingdom of God, I start to feel hopeless and depressed. I drag myself around the house, obsessing about the future for my own children. I cry out, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Something has to change.
I'm not comfortable with blaming sites like X. It's not access to information that's the problem. I'm experiencing the natural stress response of cognitive dissonance. The solution isn't to close myself off from information, as eager as I am to do that. Rather, I suspect I need to renew my commitment to worship and prayer! I confess that this is not my natural response. Is it yours?
Rather than putting our heads in the sand, I'm thinking we should reframe our paradigm. We are soldiers for Christ in a war against the forces of evil. The powers and principalities of this evil age will not be satisfied until it destroys everything that is good. We should not be naive. We should fight with the tools of the Spirit against the war of the Spirit.
So how do we fight? We fight with prayer. We soak in worship. We posture ourselves as living sacrifices, set apart as holy and made for a purpose.
Lord, awaken your people. Remind us of the true nature of this battle. Empower us with your strength. Help us to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waists, the breastplate of righteousness in place, our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. May we take up the shield of faith, so we might extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Help us to put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Amen