These past several years the atmospheric oppressions of this world have weighed heavy around us. While the sun may be shining brightly, there has been a kind of noxious cloud that has encircled the earth. It has slowly and strategically begun to poison the hearts and minds of the once “normal” people who live here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naive, there’s always been a little “crazy” here and there. But something has radically changed. It’s as though this poison has somehow eaten away at the amygdala, that part of our brains that control the emotions. Anger seems to have become the dominant expression, overtaking all rationale. And people feel absolutely entitled to express that anger whenever and however they choose. But what is underneath all this anger? The anger is just a symptom of a great deal of fear and anxiety that creates a sense of powerlessness. Everything feels out of control. No one seems to be able to make things right again. There is no reliable and trustworthy power that we can depend on as we did before. These are the underpinnings of this rumbling atmosphere that is shaking the earth and reshaping minds. Covid shifted the axis and the planet has been off-kilter since. Everyone feels it.
Our culture is rampant with sinful, crippling, fear and anxiety. This gender storm we are witnessing is causing enormous fear to well up in young kids, forcing them into confusion and anxiety over what they see their body to be, versus what they are being told may be who they really are. They are being inundated with an inability to trust in anything they see with their eyes. Everything is subject to question. There is no hard truth about anything anymore in our society. Deception hangs in the air like an unseen poison-elixir breathed in until distraught. Race is being peddled as the cure for all of societies ailments. Either one should repent for the color of their skin that makes them evil oppressors or one should fight for the color of their skin because they are oppressed. Either way, anxiety and fear drive the force of this narrative. Greed and power run amok globally. National leaders are intoxicated by this wonder drug of globalism while ignoring the reality of the sinful heart of man right before their eyes. They speak lofty words of unity—restoring the planet—their new god, feeding the poor, erasing differences of thought and religions for the betterment of society— while keeping a blind-eye to the corporate greed and totalitarian methods that are anything but equitable. The only result of this mental pollution is the noxious fumes of fear and anxiety. And if that wasn’t enough, there are the wars and rumors of wars. Left too long in this state of mind and the soul will be crushed unto death.
But, praise be to God, we have an antidote. There actually is someone trustworthy, reliable and in power that will make things right again. The soul can be detoxified by the word of God. The mind can find rest there. It’s a safe place to take a deep breath, be still and know that He is God. In his timing, all things will be resolved. This is the true cure for all of societies ills. The renewing of the mind restores the soul and can cleanse us from all forms of mental pollution. There is actually a design for mankind and all of creation. A divine blueprint, working linearly, toward a glorious outcome.
I can’t prove any of this to you. I know this by faith. I experience this by my relationship with the living God of the universe. I came to know him through reading the book he wrote to us all, to reveal not only himself but his design and plans for this world. I’m not trying to convince you but rather to give you hope. The only way you can test this is to dip your own toes into the waters. His Book flows with living waters, healing waters, that can quiet the deepest of angst and lift the oppression…
“And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
“So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
“The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” John 16:9
“When the Spirit comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. John 16:13
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33