My View of Life - Never Better!

Fear Not

With each passing day, I become more certain, as I witness the wars around the world, the mass murders, the geological catastrophes, and the abundance of iniquity, that fear has overcome the world.

The values that once steadied the human race, casting out fear and doubt, have been tossed to the wayside, replaced with a distorted perception of carnal security. A hoax, a facade that peace is obtained without our worship of Heavenly Father, and our endeavoring to implement his divine qualities into our beings. Those of faith, love, obedience, repentance, gratitude, hope, patience, honesty, work by the sweat of our brow, accountability, and in fine,everything good.

Truly, this peace has been taken from the earth. Satan has succeeded as prophesied in Matthew 24:

1. Wars and Rumours of wars

2. Nation shall rise against nation

3. Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes

4. The beginning of sorrows

5. Many shall betray one another and hate one another

6. Many false Prophets

7. Iniquity shall abound

8. The love of many shall wax cold

9. Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world

10. Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved

But it is worse than even this, or perhaps to be more specific, no great nation or dynasty has ever fallen except for corruption from within, the very tragedy that is befalling America today.

Nearly 12 years ago an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints outlined our current situation with chilling precision. (www.lds.org/general-conference/2004)

We are living in the prophesied time when peace shall be taken from the earth, when all things shall be in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail them. There are many temporal causes of commotion, including wars and natural disasters, but an even greater cause of current commotion is spiritual.

Evil that used to be localized and covered like a boil is now legalized and paraded like a banner. The most fundamental roots and bulwarks of civilization are questioned or attacked. Nations disavow their religious heritage. Marriage and family responsibilities are discarded as impediments to personal indulgence. The movies and magazines and television that shape our attitudes are filled with stories or images that portray the children of God as predatory beasts or, at best, as trivial creations pursuing little more than personal pleasure. And too many of us accept this as entertainment.

The men and women who made epic sacrifices to combat evil regimes in the past were shaped by values that are disappearing from our public teaching. The good, the true, and the beautiful are being replaced by the no-good, the whatever, and the valueless fodder of personal whim. Not surprisingly, many of our youth and adults are caught up in pornography, pagan piercing of body parts, self-serving pleasure pursuits, dishonest behavior, revealing attire, foul language, and degrading sexual indulgence.

An increasing number of opinion leaders and followers deny the existence of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and revere only the gods of secularism. Many in positions of power and influence deny the right and wrong defined by divine decree. Even among those who profess to believe in right and wrong, there are them that call evil good, and good evil. (Isa. 5:20) Many also deny individual responsibility and practice dependence on others, seeking, like the foolish virgins, to live on borrowed substance and borrowed light.

Wow! Are we not arriving to a time described in the Bible in the book of Daniel? Those who wouldn't have that fundamental transformation of their beliefs would be put to death.

This is reality. The real enemy isn't Isis, climate change, or those of opposing views. It's an enemy far more deadly and eternally destructive. An enemy that can bind us to a life of misery, floundering, anxiety, and fear.

The way to combat the evils that plague us today is to turn back to the God who gave us life--our Heavenly Father. America has overcome impossible odds when its citizens turned to God. "In God we once trusted." We need to trust him again.

At this Christmas Season may we all be reminded of a simple story found in the New Testament, Luke: Chapter 2.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The gift announced by the angel, is the greatest and happiest gift ever bestowed on mankind, and, at that time, it was a child, fitting for the exuberance of innocent children during this festive season.

The angel perceived the shepherds were fearful, and announced, fear not. But, I believe this charge was meant more for us in our perilous time than for the shepherds. Furthermore, the angel was joined by a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, peace on earth, good will toward men. This peace will cast out fear. Undoubtedly they were saying, fear, will never triumph--a Savior is born.

And he did as was foretold. For he, the firstborn and greatest of all the Father's Children. He, the word, who created the earth (John 1: 1-3) was made flesh, (John 1:14) and was born in a lowly stable.

His life was one of perfection. Our exemplar, our pathway back to our real home. He made the ultimate sacrifice, and paid the ultimate price, that he might help us learn and grow and return to our Heavenly Home.

Knowing that we learn and grow through opposition he suffered the entire realm of human experience--sin, anguish, pain, and affliction. Such that he bleed from every pore. Such suffering in gethsemane we cannot fathom, but we can understand lashing, a crown of thorns, nails, and a cruel cross.

It is sufficient that we know that there is nothing we can experience that he does not completely understand. We can never look in the mirror and say, "no one knows how I feel." Jesus Christ does, and if we seek him as he taught, we will find that peace. If the opposition appears too great he will carry us, but all the while, instilling in us courage and added strength to win the battle.

Now his persona is one of ultimate joy, Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, and yet . . . he loves you, cares for you, and has given everything he can for you and me. The peace he gives is not as the world giveth (John 14:27) It's a peace where our hearts are no longer troubled, neither are we afraid. For one moment with him, considering everything he means to us, would we not melt in his arms of safety, never wanting the magnitude of love and glory to end? Wishing to the depths of our soul that we could give everything we are, and everything we could ever be to be with him, and continue to feel that real peace, love, and joy? Would we not try with our might to convey our gratitude to him, the impossibility of overcoming sin and death without him ominous in our minds? Just being with him, surely, the tears would flow and drip to his feet.

Because of our Savior we can internalize the true meaning of the phrase, "great is the worth of a soul." We are children of Almighty God, and we are his work and his glory. Let us not get weighed down and drawn into the troubles and facades of our time. Rather, let us be of good cheer. Full of faith and hope. Let our foundation be in Christ who is mighty to save. He has already won the war. In him we cannot fall.

May this Christmas season be one of coming unto Christ, and basking in his peace, being not afraid, and . . . casting away our fear.