FAITH or FEAR?

THE CHOICE IS OURS! 

It's good news week,

Someone dropped a bomb somewhere contaminating atmosphere

and blackening the sky.

It's good news week,

Someone's found a way to give

the rotting dead a will to live, go on and never die....

These are the opening words of a one-hit wonder song from 1965 called "It's Good News Week" by British band Hedgehoppers Anonymous
                        

                                                                            OR

                                                

Or, who can remember the classic hit from Barry McGuire in 1965 called "Eve Of Destruction" - 

The eastern world, it is explodin', violence flarin', bullets loadin', 

You're old enough to kill, but not for votin',

You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'

And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'

But you tell me over and over and over again my friend

Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Don't you understand what I'm tryin' to say?

Can't you see the fear that I'm feeling today?

If the button is pushed, there's no running away

There'll be none to save with the world in a grave

Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy

But you tell me over and over and over again my friend

Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction....

The 1960's was a tumultuous time with the Vietnam War looming large on the landscape throughout the decade. Early in the sixties, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a cause for much fear and foreboding. This was the time of the Cold War.

Fast forward some almost sixty years to 2021, as we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century and Guess What? The world news is still not only bad, but it is getting worse. The threat of communism, although seemingly abating with the dismantling, at least figuratively of the Iron Curtain and the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the literal dismantling of the Berlin Wall - is now shadowing Western democracies with a rising tide of Marxist/ Socialist activism often disguised as Social Action. One of the most recent and disturbing examples of this has been the fraudulent election of Joe Biden, a Democrat with a Socialist antiChrist agenda to the position of President, Commander-in-Chief in the United States, with the Chinese Communist Party allegedly up to their teeth in financial pay-offs to the Democrat vote-rigging enterprise.

The world over the last twelve months has been reeling from the China virus, known as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus, ostensibly manufactured in a lab in the city of Wuhan in China and exported to the world. Sadly, just when we thought the threat of this virus was waning, several mutations have arisen, which some have claimed are more concerning than the original COVID-19.

The scourge of the evil ideology of radical Islam has taken prominence as the major protagonist threatening world peace, even though Islam is touted by its followers as a religion of peace. Peace, to the Muslim at least to the radical Muslim, is submission to Allah, their false God - forced conversion or death to the infidel as the alternative. Oh, what peace!?!?

Perhaps what should be an even greater cause for fear is the god of Political Correctness that the majority (it seems) of our politicians and media and Big Business elites bow down to, bending over backwards to not offend Muslims and the other radical main player today, the LGBTQI lobby , who are waging a relentless war against the nuclear family unit, headed by a mother and a father, as in woman and man. Ultimately, this is a demonically inspired war on Christians and the eternal unchanging Word of the Living God. As the apostle Paul proclaimed in Romans 1, the sin of homosexuality is "exchanging the truth of God for the lie, and worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions (homosexual practice). END OF STORY!

Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living God, speaking prophetically of the times in which we are living, said in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24: "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in My name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many, and you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14                                                                                                            New Living Translation

For the true Christian, a modern day disciple of Christ, who is fully trusting in the wholly Holy Spirit- inspired Word of God as his or her manual for living, this is not a time to fear, for giving in to dread or terror. This is the time we have been born for, when the world is in the deepest darkness, we, as part of the Body of Christ, the Christian Church have been called and equipped to shine like the stars in the universe, to march forth as an army with banners, proclaiming that JESUS IS LORD to the glory of God the Father.

The Christian is not to fear man or circumstance. I LOVE what Jodie Hughes, who with her husband, Ben head up "Pour It Out Ministries." says. Through many years of physical illness with serious bowel disorders, while all the while ministering life and healing in Jesus' name to thousands of people touched by their ministry, when she was tempted to give in to fear, the Holy Spirit spoke to her clearly one day while taking a shower and said: "FEAR IS NOT THE PROPHET OF YOUR LIFE!" Wow, that's powerful!

We are to fear God - and Him only, Godly fear being reverent awe of the One who has saved us from Satan's realm of darkness, that we might be bearers of Light, drawing the lost to our Saviour. 

King David boldly proclaimed in Psalm 27: The Lord is my light and my salvation;

                                                                        Whom shall I fear?

                                                                        The Lord is the strength of my life;

                                                                        Of whom shall I be afraid?

                                                                        Though an army may encamp against me,

                                                                         My heart shall not fear;

                                                                        Though war may rise against me,

                                                                         In this I will be confident.

                                                                         For in the time of trouble,

                                                                         He shall hide me in His pavillion;

                                                                         In the secret place of His tabernacle

                                                                         He shall hide me;

                                                                         He shall set me high upon a rock. (vs 1,3,5)

The prophet Isaiah wrote, encouraging the people of God:

                                                                         The Lord of Hosts, Him shall you hallow;

                                                                         Let Him be your fear,

                                                                         And let Him be your dread. Isaiah 8:13

Again, in Isaiah 35:3,4 the prophet writes:     Strengthen the weak hands,

                                                                         And make firm the feeble knees.

                                                                        Say to those who are fearful-hearted,

                                                                        "Be strong, do not fear!

                                                                         Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

                                                                         With the recompense of God;

                                                                         He will come and save you."

God is calling forth an army of worshipping warriors, who are full of faith in the Living God, whose lives have been ransomed from the clutches of hell by the blood of Jesus, who died on the Cross of Calvary and rose triumphant from the grave, and ascended in victory over hell and death to be seated at the right hand of the Father, to ever live to make intercession for the saints -the true followers of the Lord, soldiers of the Cross who walk by faith, knowing that their lives are in His hands.

I don't know about you, but I want to be part of that army of believers who runs to the battle, and not away from it in cringing fear - but full of faith in the One who is able to "rescue me from every evil attack, and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Tim.4:18 NIV

If you want to know more about how to become a Christian and have your life transformed by the love and power of the God who sent His Son, Jesus to die for your sins on the Cross, and who triumphantly rose again, go to www.vision.org.au This is the online home of Vision Christian Media. Click on the Grow your faith tab, then from the dropdown menu, click on "Looking for God?" God Bless!