A twisted spirit of fear is rolling over world today like a thick black fog, however it is nothing new. We all have heard the famous quote lifted from the inaugural address of the 32th president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt:
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
This twisted spirit of fear, the same one that was used to usher in the New Deal, comes from the devil. Although certain programs contained within the scheme of the New Deal were necessary to get the country’s economy working again, many unnecessary and damaging programs were cloaked within.
That’s how Satan always offers up his version of “change”, a colorful and tasty treat injected with a hidden poison.
Today, we citizens are told that we have nothing to fear from Islamic terrorism, Sharia Law, illegal immigration, or a collapsing economy, etc., etc.
Things that are outright evil are rebranded as phobias. Homophobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, the list goes on and on. Those who attempt to live lawfully according to biblical morality are mockingly branded as being “fearful” of things that are actually evil.
One group scolds us not to fear those who are “different” from us while another group tells us not to fear “change”.
Sometimes a verse from the much maligned Holy Bible is hypocritically quoted when an attempt is made to quench legitimate fears held toward terrorism, street violence, etc.:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
However, when it comes to climate change, there is no fear too strong. We are told to fear everything from our air conditioners to our refrigerators, our lawnmowers to our SUVs. If nothing is done to prevent the earth from warming then what’s left of mankind will become impoverished and enslaved.
Maybe NASA should work on a giant spaceship made of ice designed to cool down the sun. Of course even if it was able to leave earth’s atmosphere it would melt millions of miles before it ever got to the sun from the heat of the sun, because the sun is millions of degrees hot and is in constant flux, but that has no bearing on “climate change”… right?
And oh my, let’s not even get started on the fear of so called “hate” speech. The time has now come for society to extend an open hand to those who practice evil and raise a closed fist to those who speak the truth.
Have you noticed the growing phobia of walls in the world today? In doing a bit of research I could not locate a special name for the fear of walls. Maybe we’ll just call it “Teichophobia”. (Teichos is the Greek word for wall as “homo” is the Greek word for “same”.)
If we’re being honest here, which we are of course, it’s the world itself that has the biggest fear of all: phobophobia – the fear of phobias. (Remember ole FDR? We have nothing to fear but fear itself…)
This twisted spirit of fear moving over the earth like a giant suffocating fog will soon be used to usher in a false global peace.
Along with being accused of particular phobias, if you’re not aware of certain famous people or events then you’re accused of living “under a rock.” It’s hard to keep up with all the entertainment laden hysteria filling our eyes and ears moment by moment.
True Christians may indeed be unaware of many things that are highly esteemed by the world, but it isn’t because we’ve been living under a rock located under the clouds. It’s because we’re living above the clouds in our hearts where we will spend our eternity in the Spirit.
“Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1b-2).
Of course we’re supposed to physically live here on earth until the Lord Jesus returns to “receive us unto Himself” to be with Him in heaven (John 14:3).
Agreeing with Christ (Matthew 28:19), the apostle Paul reminds us that we still have to live in the world. We have to go to work, go to school, and drive to the grocery store, etc. while our spirit still dwells within our physical bodies.
“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).
However, our hearts can be fully dependent upon the Spirit of God even while we are going about our daily business entirely surrounded by the world.
The world fears both earthly and eternal things. On the other hand, even though we may fear things while we are in the flesh, a true Christian does not have to fear things on earth or things eternal.
We know that if we love Jesus and obey His commandments we have nothing to fear from Him. He will guide us both physically and spiritually as we navigate these troubled waters that are the last days.
We have the Spiritual strength to wholly reject the twisted spirit of fear moving throughout the world and keep our hearts and minds set in heaven.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:21, 18, 27).