Conspiracies,
Are They Real?
Thoughts
about the State of the Nation and our World
I
know I'm not the only one who sees what is happening in our world,
our country, our neighborhoods and our families and wonders what is
going on? It seems like everything is against us as a nation, as
Believers, as individuals, even just as humanity.
Abortion
is all over the news.
Same
sex marriage is constantly in the headlines.
Isis
is murdering Christians, and terrorist are threatening our very way
of life.
Human
trafficking and other atrocities are rampant.
On
the health front, cancer, arthritis, asthma, allergies, mental
illness and auto-immune diseases are at all time highs.
Big
Industry is pumping our food supply with dangerous chemicals, and our
soils are depleted to the point that I wonder if there is anything
nutritious about the food I'm purchasing for my family at all.
Spiritually,
compromise and legalism equally eat away at true faith.
And
the list goes on, and on, and on...
Distractions
and Our Purpose
All
of these distractions deter us from our true purpose.
"Man’s chief end is
to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."
(Westminster Catechism)
It, also, distracts us from fulfilling the Great Commission
given to us by the Lord Jesus himself,
18 All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Really,
I think that is the point. That is the conspiracy. Lucifer
and his minions are going about trying to devour humanity any way
they can.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
The same verse from the Message:
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
Am I saying we shouldn't try to do something about all of this injustice, atrocity and disease? No, of course not! What I am saying is that perhaps we've been going about it the wrong way.
Sure, we should do everything reasonable to ensure our health, safety and freedoms. However, I will again say, I think we've been going about it the wrong way.
Where
Does It All Come From?
Not
only does the enemy of our souls seek to destroy us, our own flesh
wars against us. I think that James chapter 4 (NKJV) sums it up
pretty well.
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
That's
some pretty bold stuff there. Here's the same section from the
Message:
1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.11-12 Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”16-17 As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
According
to the previous scriptures, the bottom line is that the world's ills
are caused by our own wrong desires and the devil's desires to devour
the human race. Evil. It's all evil!
What
Are We to Do?
What's
the answer? If you've read this far, then I'm sure you know what I'm
going to say -- Jesus Christ. It's that simple. Or is it?
It
is. It really is. I will say it with a couple of caveats, though. If
we are truly believers in Jesus Christ, then we need to be following
what He gave us as the two greatest commandments:
37Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
Our
Lord doesn't mince words. God needs to be Number One in our lives,
not our sinful flesh. Then the next thing he says is to love our
neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Ouch!
Here's
how the Message says it:
37-40 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
But
How?
How
are we to do this? Our Lord doesn't ask us to do things that He
won't give us the grace to achieve. This is NOT in our own
strength -- far be it! I've often heard people say, "God
won't give us more than we can handle." That's nonsense.
Of course he will give us more than we can handle, so he can
work his good will and purpose in our lives. Instead, he wants
us to say,
"I can do all things through
Christ, because he gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 (NCV)
Again,
in that same chapter, verse 6, the Apostle Paul says,
"Do
not worry about anything, but pray and ask God
for everything you need, always giving thanks."
This
is where we've really been going wrong, in my opinion. All the
social programs, diets, health advocacies, petitions, and such will
do nothing for the world's ills if we do not commit them to prayer.
Prayer must be the foundation of everything we do -- it flows
our of our loving relationship with the Father, as Jesus said in
Matthew 22:37 (above.)
In fact, the apostle Paul gives us the recipe to not only be able to do all these things, but to have a joyful heart in the midst of the world and its chaos, in the earlier part of that same chapter, Philippians 4:4-8 (NKJV):
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let
your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at
hand.6 Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.8 Finally,
brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of
good report, if there
is any
virtue and if there
is anything
praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
I
think the Message says it beautifully:
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
No
Fear!
If
we do this, then we will be able to thwart the devil's schemes. Sure
he will be given the power to deceive the earth's inhabitants for a
short time, (Revelation 13:14), but we, In Christ, have no cause to
fear.
The
Psalmist says, "I will fear no
evil, for you are with me." (Psalm 23:4) We have no cause
to fear because God, the Creator of the Universe, loves us and is
with us, supporting us, holding us up.
We
don't need to fear. No fear. Nothing. Jesus Christ himself told us
this:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NKJV)
Are
there conspiracies against us? Sure there are! However as
the Apostle John says:
4My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (NCV)
In
this we place our hope.
