SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1107

“Impending Doom”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. – John 14:27

We are all experiencing some sense of foreboding as we navigate through our current pandemic. One of the leading causes of a sense of impending doom is that of having persistently elevated stress levels.

The virus alone is enough to make us anxious, but couple that with the social and news media hype and hyperbole about conspiracy theories, political agendas at work behind the scenes, along with civil unrest and our stress levels and feelings of hopelessness increase exponentially.

Our elected representatives bicker like schoolchildren, and our ‘experts’ disagree on what action to take to lead us out of this quagmire. Where do we turn? To whom do we look for leadership? How do we discern truth from the preponderance of misinformation being thrust at us? The answer is found in the Word of God.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you discernment for truth.

…but test everything; hold fast what is good; casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 Peter 5:7

We need the abiding presence of the Lord to give us the strength to persevere and yes, thrive during this difficult time.

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. – Psalm 105:4; Psalm 16:8

It is prudent to prepare for difficult times. However we must be careful not to place our trust in our stockpile of material goods. Our trust must always be in Jesus if we are to have peace.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you; I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth; The Lord is my helper, I will not fear – Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 121:1-2; Hebrews 13:6

The devil is the prince of the air and the media is a tool he wields to instill fear and steal your peace.

Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught; And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… – Proverbs 3:25-26 Colossians 3:15

Rest in the knowledge that you are a child of God. He will keep you safe.

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one; What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. – 1 John 5:19; Romans 8:3; Proverbs 18:10

May the Lord bless you and give you peace.

Be still, and know that I am God. – Psalm 46:10