Moments for the Heart

You have heard it a thousand times already this year. What kind of world are we living in today? It is crazy that there is so much division, so much bitterness, so much hatred that we cannot live our lives anymore—all of these sprout fear, confusion, and anger. You can’t turn on the TV or open up your browser without seeing yet another story of a world gone mad. Selfish deeds, new laws being implemented, senseless acts of violence, rights being violated, hatred being spewed, and it doesn’t ever seem to be nearing an end. Every finger is pointing to another person in blame. Thus, the rocks continue to fly, retaliation after retaliation with no peace in sight.

There is No Peace

I was in prayer this morning, and the word peace kept overwhelming my heart. All I could think about was praying for peace. My heart hurts for what is going on in the world. I can’t stand seeing the hatred that people have for one another. It is enough to make you angry. Part of you wants just to slap some sense into people. (Great Christian attitude, Jeff… I know.) Why do people do the things they do? Why do they have so much animosity? What good is it doing? Is hatred changing anything?

No. It is just feeding the hatred in others until we see what we see now, a world full of angry people angry at those who are angry. But is my irritation justified? Can I define what I am feeling inside as righteous indignation?

Some folks on television would say that is what they are displaying. I don’t know about that. The pain of this world goes beyond protests, looters, rioters, and sectioned off cities.

We are Losing our Youth

The value of our youth in this country is cheapened by the standards that are being set. Please read that again. Television shows allow them to be exploited while the streets welcome them in as they go missing by the dozens. We shake our heads and blame society, but what is being done in the home? What are we teaching our children? Better yet, ARE we teaching our children, or are we letting the world teach them.

If you are allowing the world to be your child’s guide, then you are in for a world of hurt. Society is teaching kids if it feels good, do it; the only person who knows what’s right for you is you; and all adult knowledge is idiotic, worthless, and outdated. It’s no wonder we are in a losing battle.

As they grow older, they lack respect. Respect for each other. Respect for the opposite sex. Respect for the parent. Respect for authority. If we allow our kids to grow up with television and music role models raising them, we lose them. And we birth the generation we see today. Parents, we need to stop and take a look around. We need a dose of healthy anger to break our hearts. Because it breaks the Lord’s heart to see those He loves, fight against Him and everything He stands for.

Our Faith is Being Challenged

For some of us, challenged faith may come with subtle changes. You may have to meet in smaller groups, with reduced capacity, or congregate with social distancing guidelines in place. For others, it has become a challenge between the church and the government. While protesters gather by the thousands, groups of parishioners in far fewer numbers cannot assemble because of the dangers of COVID even when the mandated precautions are taken.

The rights of the many outweigh the rights of the few. Churches are being fined, and pastors are being threatened with imprisonment for violating the no indoor service order. While most of this is isolated to one state, we can feel the effects across the nation. The fear of ‘what if this fever spreads,’ and I’m not talking about Coronavirus.

If your church is closed or attendance is modified, does it hurt your heart that you can’t worship like you used to? Or are you glad that you get those extra hours of sleep, that added day off work, or relieved you don’t have to get dressed up? To be separated from your brothers and sisters in Christ is adding to the deterioration of our country.

The fellowship we receive with other believers is a significant factor in what builds us up. The weekly dose of Christ is sometimes all some Christians get, and when that little bit of injection is gone, the fabric of who they are in the Lord quickly fades away.

For What Breaks Yours

As I was saying during my prayer time today, God was whispering peace into my spirit. I prayed for peace over the world situation. I saw a vision of angry rioting men behind a concrete barricade throwing things at other angry men in the distance. I began to feel upset at them for the things that they were doing. Then in a flash, I found myself crying. I felt an immense passionate, hurting love for them. My heart asked, “Why are you doing these things?” I heard myself saying these words aloud. Then, I felt God speak to my heart, “Now you understand how I feel.”

It was brief, but it was powerful. I have struggled with how to handle the situation going on across America. God just led me to pray. So, I pray for those misled by the enemy to do these horrendous things against their fellow man without a second thought. I pray for the generation of children growing up now, that they will not be drawn in by the lies they are being told. I pray for their parents to take hold of the responsibility they have been entrusted with.

I pray for Christians to live out their faith and continue getting closer to their Savior. I pray we treat our relationship with Christ as a priority and crucial to everyday living. I pray for peace in our country. Peace between men, a peace between parent and child, and a peace between man and God. I pray that God breaks our hearts to see the hurting world around us, and we hit our knees in prayer. Then join together and take action do something to create peace today and for future generations.

Photo by Rahul Pandit from Pexels