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Stop the Alarm!

The times in which we are living and the things we are facing in this day and hour are no surprise to God. Even with all the skeptics who cry "Where is God?" when tragic things occur, there is a surety that God is very much aware and present in this hour. In fact He knew this time would come in the history of mankind and therefore gave us specific instructions of how we, as His people, are to conduct ourselves and stay on the winning side.

"And when you hear of wars and insurrections (disturbances, disorder, and confusion), do not become alarmed and panic-stricken and terrified; for all this must take place first, but the end will not [come] immediately. Then He told them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be mighty and violent earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences (plagues: malignant and contagious or infectious epidemic diseases which are deadly and devastating); and there will be sights of terror and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21: 9-11)

Jesus was speaking in these passages of Scripture and at the heart of His message was the simple, yet vital instruction: Fear Not! As I shared above, Jesus is very much aware of what you and I are facing in the world today and because He knew this time was coming, He made sure to equip us with His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us from yielding to the fear and terror that is gripping the world. Jesus' instruction here is not a nice suggestion or proposal but instead it is the vital key for us to stay connected to God and His protection, provision, guidance and everything else we may need.

There's no doubt about it: these are serious times in which we are living. However, we should not be alarmed or panic-stricken or terrified by what's taking place. We should not let CNN, Osama Bin Laden, checking our mailboxes or anything else put us in a state of fear. How can I say this, you ask? Because Jesus said it! He told us not to do it. So if He says not to do something, then we obey Him by not doing it. He obviously knows more than we do and only wants what is best for us, so it's to our benefit to go with Him and His counsel instead of what our emotions or the news report is saying to us.
What Jesus knows and what we, too, must get a firm grasp on is: FEAR IS EVIL. It is the power source that fuels Satan's activity in our lives, just as faith is the power source that fuels God's activity in our lives. Recognizing that truth means that we must take a bold stance against fear, alarm, terror, and every other type of oppression. Isaiah 54:14 promises that we will be far from oppression and terror and they won't even be able to come near us. In 2 Timothy 1:7, God makes it clear that He did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. So if God didn't give fear to you, then don't accept it in your life. Don't let it hinder you from living to the fullest. Don't let it open the door to Satan and his schemes. Instead, follow the instructions of James 4:7 by submitting yourself to God through obedience to Jesus' command not to fear; resisting the devil and his ploys to try and get you to fear your well being, safety, etc., and you'll surely enjoy the last laugh as he becomes the one fleeing in terror--from you!