Anxious? Confused? Fearful?

August 9, 2022 at 1:59 PM 1 comment

Audio for this article here: SermonAudio.com/StudyGrowKnow

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CDC now has new guidelines for you. Isn’t that neat?

So aside from the IRS quite possibly becoming the government’s new weaponized “militia” against the Middle Class (see last link above), what’s to worry about? Well, in reality, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and concerned by what we are seeing and experiencing in society. It causes angst in many Christians, myself included. Who alive today lived through the Great Depression or Dust Bowl and the terrible problems associated with those events? Most of us in the USA have lived fairly comfortable lives and haven’t really gone without. That may change in the near of future as we go into this fall or even the spring of 2023. Because of all this, I spent some of the other morning dealing with a bit of anxiety regarding everything that’s going on in the world.

After spending time in prayer, I was again reminded of the problem. Like Peter who initially found himself walking on water, but quickly sinking after taking his eyes off Jesus and onto the water and the waves, I too was focusing on the situations in front of me instead of on Him. That one factor makes all the difference.

So how do we counteract that? How do we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), so that we are not governed by fear of situations and live victoriously? I believe the solution is found in praise. Will I praise Him for everything in the midst of the many frustrating circumstances we are all facing or will I focus on the situations, robbing me of my joy? It’s clearly up to to me, because it’s a decision I need to make many times throughout each day. To not make the decision to turn to Him in praise is to accept the default, which is for me, normally worry, concern and anxiety.

As I turn to Him in praise, I am doing several things. First, I’m acknowledging His Lordship over me. Second, I have gained control over the temptations that want me to make myself “lord” of my life. This, as it happens, is a continuing battle every Christian faces until death so the sooner we get used to it, the better off we will be.

What’s not to love about the CDC?

Here’s just one biblical example found in Habakkuk 3:17-19. Many prophets faced situations most of us (including me), would not want to face. Habakkuk 1 opens with a question. Habakkuk wanted to know how long God would continue not hearing his cries regarding Israel? The Lord responds with a warning to Habakkuk that judgment is coming to Israel and God would use the Chaldean armies from the north to mete out that judgment. A dialogue ensues between God and Habakkuk, chapters 1 to 3. In Habakkuk 2, the Lord responds to the prophet, which include the now famous words, “the just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4b). If I truly lived by faith, then wouldn’t I be praising God more for the current and future situations? Shouldn’t that become my default?

The remainder of Habakkuk 2 is filled with one promised “woe” after another. These should have been a wake-up call to Israel, but wasn’t. The Israelites experienced promised judgment. I wonder how far judgment is on the USA is today? Certainly, it’s coming though many “see” a “revival.” When civilizations come to a point of judgment, the judgment usually falls and long afterward there can be revival, but not until judgment occurs. The Bible is filled with example after example. Why do some think the USA will escape God’s judgment?

Habakkuk 3 begins with the prophet’s prayer. He heard God’s complaint and understood coming judgment was due to a needed purge of evil from Israel. Certainly, the nation had been given plenty of opportunities for revival but to no avail. God would not continue to overlook the tremendous and continuing evil that existed within Israel. It had become a tremendous stench in God’s nostrils, which required Him to deal with it. He would relent no longer.

Truth shall not be tolerated by the high and mighty globalists. It IS “climate change” and let’s not forget that, okay?

Though I won’t reprint the entire section here, I strongly encourage readers to read Habakkuk 3:1-16 before going on with the remainder of this article. Here is what we will focus on: Habakkuk 3:17-19.

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Look carefully at what Habakkuk states in the above three verses. Though life itself might become terrible – no blossoms on fig trees, fruit on the vines, no fields yielding food or herds in the stalls – the prophet promises that he “will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

I know myself well enough to know that if I was facing the prospect of no food, I’d respond with anxiety, confusion and fear. That’s my “go-to” response way too often. What would you do if you went to the store and saw completely empty shelves? What would you do if the garden you planted produced no vegetables or fruit?

Habakkuk stated that in spite of how bad things appeared, he would rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in God His Savior. Praising God is not automatic for me in life’s situations. How do I cause it to become my new default mode? Only by continually practicing it so that a habit develops. There’s no other way of which I’m aware.

So, when I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed recently because of Congress’ “Inflation Reduction Act,” (which will not reduce inflation, but will actually increase it tremendously), I became concerned. Inflation will occur, not be reduced. This occurs because Congress spends money the government doesn’t have (so the Federal Reserve will print more and “loan” it to the federal government with interest). The Federal Reserve, for those who do not know, is simply a central bank owned by private individuals (most of whom live in Europe). It is called the “Federal Reserve” to make it sound as though it is part of the Federal government, but it is not. It is a bank designed to make large profits. The Federal government has three branches and the Federal Reserve is not one of those branches.

Under this new bill (if signed into law), the Federal government will borrow millions and millions of dollars that the Federal Reserve will loan, thereby drastically increasing our already unbelievably high national debt, which will cause more inflation. This same bill will increase taxes on people making at least $30,000 per year and will also add 87,000 new employees to the IRS (who will be heavily armed), to audit more people. Why? To ensure that everyone pays their “fair share.” It is an increasing form of socialism leading to Communism in actuality. For a great breakdown on socialism vs capitalism, here’s a recent message by Rev. Danny Jones from Northlake Baptist Church. The actual sermon starts at 24:30.

As an aside, let’s lift up the folks at Northlake Baptist Church as Rev. Danny Jones is set to retire with his last day being August 28, 2022. He will be missed not only by the people who regularly attend Northlake in person but by those of us who attend online services as well. Jones’ messages have been a major oasis for my wife and me (as our own pastor is), as it seems fewer and fewer pastors are actually preaching the whole truth of God’s Word these days. Let’s pray that the next pastor Northlake taps is the one the Lord wants there who will continue to preach all of God’s counsel, rightly dividing God’s Word faithfully each week.

All of what’s happening in the world can tend to take the wind out of our sails and even plant seeds of doubt and depression. We see the corruption, the evil and the collected power that is being used to destroy people’s lives and nothing is done about it. Of course, God’s response is found in Psalm 37:1-5 among many other places in Scripture.

Add to that the fact that we are very likely in the eye of the storm where gas prices are currently “coming down,” and things are seemingly returning to some sense of normalcy, but it will likely not last at all. In fact, chances are great that things will get very bad within a few months and into 2023. All of this can be very discouraging, so what do we do?

We praise God for His love, His perfection, His concern for us, His promise never to abandon, leave or forsake us and a promise to meet our needs. If we focus on the situations, we will be overcome by them. Praising God for or in the midst of terrible conditions removes us emotionally from them as we begin to trust Him for His provision.

People are starting to talk about a coming financial depression, not merely a recession. What will that mean for most? It will become a struggle for many to make ends meet. But if I lose sight of God and focus on the situations around me, I’m simply adding to my problems. I will then begin to sink like Peter did even though the moment before he was actually and literally walking on water toward Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33), because Jesus was His full focus.

We do the same when we focus on the situations primarily. Dire situations will overwhelm our emotions in defeat. In that state, we can accomplish nothing and we are soon frozen in fear. Praise reverses that and renews our strength and commitment to God.

When I realized this (again), the other day, I deliberately began praising God. Each time I began thinking a thought that tried to overwhelm and defeat me, I turned it over to God and forced my thinking to see Him, His provision, His will, His perfect righteousness in praise. Each time I did that, the victory would be gained, but it’s not as though Satan (or our own flesh), gives up and never bothers us again. Praising God is something we must practice so that it becomes the normal conversation of our minds. Had Peter shifted his gaze back onto Jesus and off the waves and noise of wind and splashing, his fear would’ve likely been overcome. I’m not being critical of Peter. I’m simply stating that we go through the same types of things Peter did and we react the same way too often. We must relearn the way we think.

Friends, we are facing some terrible situations in life, much like Israel did. Judgment is coming because so many have tried and tried and tried to overthrow God, rejecting His moral code as Paul explains in Romans 1. God eventually gives that society over to itself and there comes a point of no return. Judgment is cleansing and renewing. It must happen before revival can occur.

I’m not saying our praise will change situations though it could. What I am saying is that our praise will change the way we think, which will change our outlook on life, increasing our faith and trust in God our Father. If we can do as Paul commands and enter into continual praise (1 Thessalonians 5:18), we allow God to work in and through us to bring about His will for us. As Peter stood on the water, he lost sight of Jesus because of the waves, destroying his faith. The waves overwhelmed him (replacing his faith), and he started sinking.

We often do the same, don’t we? I know I do and I have got to force myself to create a new habit of praising God in all things and for all things. If I fail to do this, I will, like Peter, sink and all I’ll be able to do is cry out for “Help!” from God my Savior. Jesus wants us to walk with Him and to gain strength from Him. This is only accomplished when we develop a habit of praising Him for and in all things. As we do this, we move away from a reliance on ourselves and a dependence on Him. I want to respond to life’s situations as Habakkuk did. That’s my goal because it brings God glory.

Only God truly knows all of what is going to occur over the next 12 months. No one else knows in spite of the fact that there are some who think they know. Instead of focusing on what is coming so that we are overwhelmed and frozen in fear, we should simply spend our time focusing on the extremely important matter of praising Him for everything that touches our life. The more we get in the habit of praising God, the more we will learn to build our trust in Him and we will find the hurdles we face are overcome because of clarity of thought provided by focusing and worshiping our God.

The alternative is a life of continual defeat. It’s our choice, isn’t it? Choose wisely.

Entry filed under: 9/11, agenda 2030, Agenda 21, alienology, Atheism and religion, christianity, Communism, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Cultural Marxism, Demonic, Eastern Mysticism, emergent church, Emotional virtue, eternity, Global Elite, Gun Control, Life in America, Maitreya, new age movement, Political Correctness, Politically Correct, Politics, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation, Satanism, second coming, Shadow Government, Socialism, Transhumanism, Trilateral Commission, ufology.

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1. Anxious? Confused? Fearful? – News Oz | August 12, 2022 at 5:10 PM

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