May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." --- Romans 15:13
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So daily I used to read a certain Christian financial blog, but now?
Super rarely do I peruse its 'the-sky-is-falling!' titles. I roll my eyes while scrolling down and pity this guy with the enormous fatalistic outlook.
I mean, hey, I totally understand warning people. These verses in Ezekiel 3 haunt me (like crazy) and that's why I slip warnings into my blog:
... when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin ... I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
But last week? The warnings in that financial guy's blog made me mad. Seriously, livid. (The underlining is mine.) --
"Our economy is imploding, inflation is out of control, the housing market is starting to crash, our weather patterns have gone completely nuts, the western half of the nation is enduring the worst drought in 1,200 years, we are dealing with three major pandemics simultaneously ... And if you think that there is hope on the horizon, you are going to be severely disappointed. The current crop of politicians in Washington is the worst that we have had in our entire history, and all of the “solutions” they give us just seem to make matters even worse."
Oh, for goodness' sake!
Yes, God calls us to warn others, but never does He say, "Annihilate people's hope. Preach that all hope is gone and making changes won't even save them. Tell them it's too late and too impossible."
And if Christians insist upon pushing that message? I feel they're in danger.The scary, don't-stand-too-close-to-me! type.
(And to be clear, for 2 years this guy's posts have resembled this one, hence why I stopped consistenly reading. Sometimes he'll say, 'barring a miracle, such and such is gonna happen', but 'miracle' comes out sounding like a sneer.)
Anyway, yes! Times are tough. They are.
But, oh how thankful I am to God for pouring out wisdom to those who ask.
For showing the 'askers' how best to spend their money or where to safely save or give it away.
And how and when to stock up on groceries and emergency items.
Where to find delicious cheap recipes.
When to move and when to stay.
Who to follow and who to leave behind.
And how to experience joy in the midst of it all.
Oh, the truck loads of hope God gives to those who unfailingly trust Him! To those refusing to cower in fear. To those with assurance that He hasn't washed His hands of this planet, but instead, will be bringing changes soon, even remarkable revival.
And in the meantime? We can live daily with great anticipation, all those who--no matter how things appear--keep gazing upward 'for the redemption that draweth nigh'.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." --- Jeremiah 29:11
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." --- Hebrews 11:1
There's warning people, then there's stealing their hope. They are not the same!
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Yesterday I enjoyed this Charles Kuralt documentary. His On The Road series is always a delight to rewatch and you can find those episodes also at Youtube, especially this overview one.
And for those who adore splashing around in all things Autumn? Here's this.
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"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." --- Romans 12:12
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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15
6 comments:
Well this post made me think. (That's a good thing!) Over the past few years, it seems that many people who have "a voice" have pandered to fear. I hate to admit it, but I have listened to their messages of gloom and doom and sometimes, I could nearly feel my heart rate climb as the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Then I asked myself why these so-called "authorities" would stir up fear and hopelessness. Well, who knows, really, but I think it's all about power. If people are genuinely afraid, they're kind of frozen. Their minds don't process information well, their physical bodies produce way too much cortisol, and their spirits are broken. Fear can ruin relationships, careers, and nearly anything else we can think of. Strangely enough, once a person is on the fear train, they often keep on riding it.
My daughter and I were talking about what we've been watching on YouTube. We both agreed that we've been steering clear of the gloom and doomers. After all, many of those people who are sending out their messages, simply want to build up viewership. Scary titles grab attention. The seeds of fear never produce a good crop!
Sometimes I wonder who to believe. One thing I know for sure, if we continue to trust in God, and follow his plan for our lives, we will be fine. And we will have hope!!
A great post and a great reminder. Like you we have tried to be prepared. We have stocked up a bit on food because you would have to be blind not to see the state of the grocery store shelves. But, I refuse to give up the hope that Jesus has provided for me. Even if the worst happens, I know where I'll be going. Trust in the Lord is what gives us hope.
We're still trying to decide if we should move or not. Prayer is a central theme in our house normally, but we've added asking Him to show us what we should do about moving.
Blessings,
Betsy
I've just been through a rough week or so (my family has I should say) and while there at the first I could barely BREATHE for the fear of all that could happen or come to pass, I 'suddenly' experienced peace and clarity and hopefulness and abundance in the midst of what had felt like lack.
I realized pretty quickly that I've been letting fear run my life of late and it's nearly created a financial mess (buy now while it's available!) and a lot of additional stress that I didn't need. All that lack I saw was covered by a lovely bit of abundance that I hadn't even recognized as such because fear was blinding me.
Boy did my mind talk change and my prayers too! I'm being extra careful now about who I follow and what they have to say.
A five-year-old child of mine said it very well once "I need an Encourager. There are enough Discouragers!"
Debra, you are such an encouragement and a bright light that shines through the darkness. You are so appreciated for being as faithful as you are in writing your blog!
Trust and obey, for there's no other way ... to be happy in Jesus ... but to trust and obey ...
did you sing it along with me ...
blessings on you!
Pam--yep, I've stopped watching certain Youtubers. Sometimes their titles will still appear and instantly--without seeing who made the video--I'll know. They're often the only ones declaring specific bad things are happening while I and others aren't seeing it at all. One thing I remember? God is the God of the opposite world so usually if folks are afraid we'll be better off choosing the opposite of fear.
Betsy--that's great that you're prepared in all ways! Still praying for you to be led where to move and what to do next, my friend.
Aw Terri---I'm so sorry you went through that. Fear not! And as I mentioned to Pam, it's often a safe bet to believe the exactly opposite of the fear mongers, especially those who don't follow God closely. All will be well as long as we follow wisdom instead!
Debi--it's always a treat to see you're still reading here! Thanks for letting me know this encouraged you. <3
Saija--yes! A perfect song for these days. (Now guess what's going through my head?) heh. :)
Thanks so much, Everyone! Blessings, Debra
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